Voter turnout was high in Illinois today in the general primary election, with higher-than-expected turnout in the Chicago suburbs, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Donald J Trump won the Republican primary in Illinois, and Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary for the presidential nomination.
Mr Trump also won in Florida and North Carolina, as did Ms Clinton, who added Ohio to her list. As of early Wednesday, their small leads in their respective primaries in Missouri made those races too close to call with 99 percent of the votes counted.
John Kasich, who won the Republican primary in his home state of Ohio, said that moving forward, the nation needs to be united, not divided.
He was very humble in thanking the people of Ohio for showing their support for him and his campaign. Mentioning that his entire life has been about trying to “create a climate of opportunity for people,” he referred to his work on Ohio’s budget, which some critics say he balanced by transferring responsibility from the state to local government units.
But in any case, Mr Kasich, who said he would have dropped out of the race if he had lost his home state, said he’ll continue this campaign. “I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land,” he said to polite applause, referring obviously to his Republican opponent in the primary, Mr Trump.
Ms Clinton also alluded to Mr Trump, saying that “being” president is a lot different from “running for” president. She said the next president faces challenges that would include keeping Americans safe, not alienating our enemies, and making college a debt-free experience. She was referring to her plan to expand certain federal grant programs for college students who have trouble paying for college. She also promised to work hard for “equal pay for equal work.”
She said the next president needs to bring Americans together, even with love, and stop talking about banning Muslims or building walls, a clear reference to a few of Mr Trump’s positions on immigration and homeland security.
Upon conceding Florida’s 99 winner-take-all delegates to Mr Trump, Marco Rubio suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination, saying that America needs a vibrant conservative movement based on hope, not on fear. It was typical for his speeches to be filled with talking points and platitudes, but his unapologetic hatred of President Obama may have been his undoing, even among Republicans who love this country and all democracy represents.
In what appeared to be a victory speech, Mr Trump paid respect to Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, who was with him at his Florida campaign headquarters, and others who have endorsed him recently. “The fact is, we have to bring our party together,” he said.
