All eyes on Trump, Hillary as Super Tuesday kicks off

Americans began voting on Tuesday in the crucial Super primaries and caucuses, with front-runners Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump hoping to finish off their rivals in the US presidential election.

A total of 12 states from Alabama to Alaska are holding primaries or caucuses. Virginia was the first state to open its polling stations at 6:00 AM (16:30 IST). A new nationwide poll released on Monday said each of them were well ahead of their closest rivals on the eve of the ‘Super Tuesday’ showdown.

Trump has expanded his lead over the diminished field to capture the support of nearly half of Republican voters, while Clinton tops Bernie Sanders by nearly 20 points on the Democrat votes, according to a CNN/ORC poll. The 69-year-old real estate tycoon tops his nearest Republican competitor by more than 30 points: 49 per cent back Trump, 16 per cent Marco Rubio, 15 per cent Ted Cruz, 10 per cent Ben Carson and 6 per cent John Kasich.

Trump’s rivals, Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, were desperately trying to halt his march toward nomination.

If Trump wins the South, it could be lights out for his Republican challengers. Texas is the largest prize. Almost 600 Republican delegates are up for grabs on Tuesday, nearly half the 1,237 needed to secure the nomination.

The ‘Super Tuesday’ is the biggest day of the 2016 US presidential primary primary season, with 12 states and one territory participating: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming and American Samoa.

On the Democratic side, 68-year-old Clinton tops Bernie Sanders 55 per cent to 38 per cent in the new poll, a slightly wider margin than she held in late January before any primaries or caucuses were held, the report said.

Some 865 Democratic delegates are at stake, 36 per cent of those needed to win. The presidential election is scheduled for November 8.