Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump win Florida; Marco Rubio drops out of race to White House

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In the Democratic race, Clinton’s victories in Florida and North Carolina were expected, but Sanders, a Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist, had hopes of taking the industrial state of Ohio. He has criticized the former secretary of state for her past support for trade deals. Sanders is unlikely to overtake Clinton in the delegate count, but his victory last week in Michigan underscored the unease that many party voters have about her candidacy.

At her victory rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, Clinton declared her eagerness to move on to a possible general election showdown with Trump.

“We are moving closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination and winning this election in November,” she told cheering supporters.

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Trump has alienated many Republicans and Democrats alike with his disparaging remarks about Mexicans, Muslims and women among others. He entered Tuesday’s primaries embroiled in one of the biggest controversies of his contentious campaign. He has encouraged supporters to confront protesters at his events and is now facing accusations of encouraging violence after skirmishes at a rally last week in Chicago that he ended up cancelling.

“I don’t think I should be toning it down because I’ve had the biggest rallies of anybody probably ever,” Trump said Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” ”We have had very, very little difficultly.”

Rubio and Kasich have suggested they might not be able to support Trump if he’s the nominee, an extraordinary stance for intraparty rivals. All of the candidates had earlier pledged to support the nominee.

Rubio implicitly rebuked Trump throughout a speech in Miami announcing he was dropping out of the race, imploring Americans to “not give in to the fear, do not give in to the frustration.”

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Kasich vowed never to take the “low road” to the “highest office in the land” in his victory speech to cheering supporters in Berea, Ohio.

Alluding to Trump, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was dismayed by “vulgar and divisive rhetoric” directed at women and minorities as well as the violence that has occurred in the campaign.

Trump has been the target of millions of dollars in negative advertising in recent weeks, including one ad campaign that highlights his statements that appear to encourage violence — among them, “I’d like to punch him in the face.”

Clinton earned at least 175 delegates Tuesday. Sanders will win at least 73. Clinton now has a total of at least 1,410, while Sanders has at least 653. It takes 2,383 to win the Democratic nomination.