Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Republican and Democratic front-runners, swept the crucial New York primary on Tuesday night in what pundits regard as a powerful boost to both at a critical point of what has become a bruising battle for presidential nomination in both parties.
Trump could not have asked for more as he walked away with 89 of 92 delegates, with three more still to be decided. His main rival, Ted Cruz, drew a blank, while the third contestant, John Kasich, had to rest content with a mere three delegates.
The landslide victory notwithstanding, Trump, with an aggregate 845 delegates, still has his task cut out as he now takes his battle to the remaining 15 States in the race for 1,237 delegates to seal the nomination and thus avert a contested convention in which the dice may well be loaded against him.
For Cruz, who now trails way behind with 559 delegates, it may be increasingly impossible to win through the primary route, but his apparent strategy is to contain Trump and ensure a contested convention in which he could possibly bounce back, given his skills in winning over delegates who become unbound after the first round.
“We don’t have much of a race anymore. Senator Cruz is just about mathematically eliminated,” Trump exulted in a brief victory speech made to his supporters at his imposing Trump Tower in the heart of Manhattan. On the Democratic side, a jubilant Clinton, for her part, remarked, “The race for the Democratic nomination is in the home stretch and victory is in sight.”
Clinton had reasons to heave a big sigh of relief as she handily defeated Sanders after having suffered a string of seven losses in the preceding eight contests. The spirited battle that Sanders waged had given rise to predictions of a close race, but Clinton easily prevailed, polling 57.9 per cent against his rival’s 42.1 per cent.
However, with Democrats not following a Republican-type winner-take-all formula but awarding delegates proportionally, Clinton had to rest content with receiving 33 delegates more than her rival. She secured 139 delegates, while Sanders got 106.
Overall, Clinton, like Trump, is now ahead of her rival by a little less than 300 delegates (1,428 to 1,151). To clinch the Democratic nomination, a candidate needs to win 2,383 delegates.
The Clinton campaign believes that the nomination is nearly within her grasp. Apart from doing well in a number of remaining States, Clinton also has the strong cushion of “super-delegates” if the need arises.
If both pledged delegates and super-delegates are put together, Clinton’s tally rises to 1,930 against Sanders’ 1,189, according to an Associated Press count of both categories.
Both the Democratic and Republican races now shift to Pennsylvania and four other States (Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware), all of which hold their primaries on April 26. These five States will decide 172 Republican delegates and 462 Democratic delegates.
The Trump campaign appears to believe that the billionaire’s stunning victory will send the right message to the Republican establishment. Trump himself signalled that he plans to challenge the Republican National Committee to change delegate selection rules.
“Nobody should take delegates and claim victory unless they get those delegates with voters and voting. And that’s what’s going to happen,” he said in a clear reference to Cruz walking away with all delegates in Colorado and Wyoming that did not have a formal primary, but decided the issue by holding conventions.
The crushing defeat in New York notwithstanding, Cruz sought to put up a brave face as he proceeded to Pennsylvania for the next battle. As for Trump’s landslide, he said dismissively that it was little more than any politician winning his home State.