The states of Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio held their democratic and republican primaries on Tuesday, March 15. The frontrunners, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and businessman Donald Trump, extended their leads in their respective parties with strong showings in those five states.

    Donald Trump claimed outright victories in Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina and ended in a virtual tie with Texas Junior Senator Ted Cruz in Missouri. Ohio Governor John Kasich was able to hold off Trump in Ohio. Ohio was Kasich’s last hope because a loss in his home state would have ended his presidential bid.  Florida Junior Senator Marco Rubio dropped out the race Tuesday evening due to a dismal performance in his home state of Florida. Trump ended up as the big winner of the night. Trump earned 177 delegates, Kasich earned 79 delegates, and Cruz earned 27 delegates. Trump has now netted 646 pledged delegates compared to Cruz’s 396 and Kasich’s 142.

    Clinton was able to win four out the five states outright while ending in a virtual tie with Vermont Junior Senator Bernie Sanders in Missouri. Sanders is running out of time to catch up to Clinton. A few upsets on Tuesday would have increased his momentum going into the next primaries. Clinton’s strong showing earned her 394 delegates while Sanders earned 294 delegates. Clinton now has 1,132 pledged delegates compared to Sanders’ 818.