TRUMP TAKES FLORIDA & ILLINOIS, TRUMP IS IT:
KASICH WINS OHIO.
TRUMP WILL BE THE GOP NOMINEE NOT KASICH.
Sources: Chicago Tribune, Fox News, Youtube
Donald Trump won a decisive victory in Florida's primary Tuesday night, forcing home-state Sen. Marco Rubio to abandon the race for the Republican presidential nomination. But another big prize — Ohio — went to its governor, John Kasich.
Florida's outcome strengthened Trump's chances to secure the Republican presidential nomination. The third contender, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, is hoping to pick up enough delegates to force a contested national GOP convention in July.
"Do not give in to the fear," Rubio said in a not-so-subtle reference to Trump. "Do not give in to the frustration."
Florida and Ohio award the most delegates in voting Tuesday; Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina also weigh in.
Kasich had to win Ohio to keep his struggling campaign alive, but even so, he has virtually no path to the nomination.
"I want you to know the campaign goes on," Kasich said at his victory rally. He sought to maintain his positive persona. "I will not take the low road to the highest office of the land."
Trump's plainspoken — while controversial — appeals have resonated across the country, leaving other candidates reeling for a strategy to topple the unconventional front-runner.
"He will fix everything that is wrong with the economy and immigration," said Alex Perri, a 59-year-old retired firefighter from Margate, Florida, who was campaigning for Trump in the parking lot of an Oakland Park voting place.
Trump's promise to impose tariffs on goods from countries that don't "play fair" has been particularly resonant with voters across the industrial Midwest.
Even as Trump racks up more wins, questions have intensified about whether he is doing enough to stem violence at his raucous rallies.
Trump said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that his record-setting crowds have had "very, very little difficultly."
The New York real estate mogul backed away from a suggestion that he might cover legal costs for a supporter who punched a protester in the face during a rally last week in North Carolina. He has blamed a larger recent clash in Chicago on Democratic protesters.
His Republican rivals and other GOP leaders insist Trump deserves some responsibility, while both Rubio and Kasich in recent days have refused to say whether they would support a Trump nomination.
In a clear reference to Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, the GOP's top elected leader, declared that all candidates have an obligation to do what they can to provide an atmosphere of harmony at campaign events and not incite violence.
For some voters, Trump's tone has been a turn-off.
Tom and Cathy Lewis cast their votes Tuesday for Kasich, who lives in their hometown of Westerville, Ohio. Beyond feeling a hometown connection to the Ohio governor, the couple said they were looking for a candidate with integrity and someone they can trust.
"We need to have a man who will speak against things that are wrong," Cathy Lewis said.
In recent weeks, Republicans who dislike Trump have banded to wage multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns against him. One political ad highlights Trump'sstatements that appear to encourage violence.
Trump still leads the race for delegates, with 568. Ted Cruz has 370 delegates, Kasich has 129 and Rubio left the race with 163.
A tally by The Associated Press shows Kasich would have to win 91 percent of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination before the summer convention
It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.
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