Kasich Earns First Win and Other Notable Moments From Tuesday's Primaries
Here are notable moments from Super Tuesday 2
By Noreen O'Donnell ••
The fate of two faltering campaigns depended on the results of Tuesday’s primaries. Sen. Marco Rubio’s fell when he lost his home state of Florida, but Gov. John Kasich, who staked his presidential hopes on a victory in Ohio, beat Donald Trump there. Residents in Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina also voted Tuesday. On the Democratic side, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton in Ohio, where observers had wondered if he could replicate his surprise success in Michigan. Here are some notable moments from the day.
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Voters casts their ballots at ChiArts High School on March 15, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.
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Voters casts their ballots at ChiArts High School on March 15, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois.
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a primary night press conference on March 15, 2016, in Palm Beach, Florida.
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Republican US Presidential hopeful Ohio Governor John Kasich celebrates his Ohio primary victory during voting day rally on March 15, 2016 in Berea, Ohio.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to her supporters during her primary night event on March 15, 2016, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio announces that he will suspend his campaign during a Republican primary night rally on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Miami, Florida .
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Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, pauses while speaking during a campaign event in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
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Rosemary Carver, a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, arrives at his primary election night event at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
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Destiny Surber, of Westerville, votes at a fire station on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Westerville, Ohio.
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Voters casts their ballots at Columbus Elementary School on March 15, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois.
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Stickers are set on a table for voters who have cast their ballots in the primary election Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Chesterville, Ohio.
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Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, casts his ballot in the primary election Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Westerville, Ohio.
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton hugs a supporter as she visits a polling place a Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
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Voters head to the polls at Su Nueva Laundromat in West Lawn in Chicago, Illinois, on March 15, 2016.
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Voters cast their ballots in the primary election Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Chesterville, Ohio.
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Voters cast their ballots at a fire station in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on March 15, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.
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Residents cast their ballots at Berne Union School during the presidential primary vote in Sugar Grove, Ohio on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
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Kathy Long votes at the Community Church of Christ Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Westerville, Ohio.
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Voters walk out of their precinct after voting as Ohio voters go to the polls for the Ohio primary March 15, 2016, at St. George Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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A woman is checked in to receive her ballot during Missouri primary voting at the Griffith Elementary School on March 15, 2016, in Ferguson, Missouri.
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Supporters hold signs for Republican candidates in front of polling precinct for the Florida Primary on March 15, 2016, in Miami, Florida.
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The media sets up for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump press conference on March 15, 2016, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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A volunteer holds literature supporting Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) outside a polling station in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
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People react to early returns showing that Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is leading her rival in the vote count for the state of Florida on March 15, 2016, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Kasich’s First Win: Ohio
Kasich’s much-needed success in Ohio — his first win — gave him all of his state’s 66 delegates and kept his campaign going.
“We are going to go all the way to Cleveland and secure the Republican nomination,” he told his supporters, referring to the party’s nominating convention in the summer.
How did he win his home state? Satisfaction with the economy may have played a part, according to the NBC News exit poll in Ohio. About 60 percent of residents said their family finances were holding steady and another 20 percent said they were getting ahead. Only about 15 percent said they were falling behind.
Kasich has been praised for running a campaign based on issues, not insults, and he told his supporters he would continue that approach.
"I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land," he told his supporters.
Republicans Fracturing?
Trump’s rivals ratcheted up criticism of the New York businessman in the days before the primaries, especially after violence broke out at his rallies, saying he would fracture the party should he win the nomination. Tuesday’s exit polling in the five states showed some signs of discontent among the GOP voters. When asked by the NBC News exit poll if they would seriously consider voting for a third-party candidate if the presidential contest was between Trump and Clinton, 37 percent said they would. Fifty-seven percent said they would be satisfied with the choice.
Among Republican voters who chose someone other than Trump on Tuesday, the dissatisfaction was greater -- six in 10 said they would seriously consider a third-party choice.
In his concession speech, Rubio warned that politics of resentment would leave the country fractured.
“America needs a vibrant conservative movement but one that’s built on principles and on ideas, not on fear, not on anger, not on preying on peoples’ frustrations,” Rubio said.
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A Good Night for Trump
Trump celebrated a series of victories, again at his Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach. The Associated Press described a large ballroom filled with more than a dozen crystal chandeliers, gilded walls and ceilings.
Trump called for bringing the Republican party together but defended the anger among his supporters.
"They're not angry people but they want to see the country properly run," he said. "They want to see borders, they want good health care, they want to see things properly taken care of, they want our military rebuilt."
'It Makes Him Wrong'
Hillary Clinton also had a good night, with strong victories in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.
She took the battle to Trump, saying that when a candidate calls for rounding up 12 million immigrants and banning all Muslims from entering the United States, when he embraces torture, “That doesn’t make him strong, it makes him wrong.”
“We should be breaking down barriers not building walls,” she said. "We are not going to succeed by dividing this country between us and them. You know, to be great we can’t be small. We can’t lose what made America great in the first place."
Footage shows towering flames in San Francisco as crews battle a fire caused by a gas explosion.
