Washington (dpa) – Voters in five US states go to the polls Saturday to make their choices for who should square off in November’s presidential election.
Both Democrats and Republicans vote in Kansas and Louisiana, while Republicans caucus in Kentucky and Maine, and Democrats hold similar meetings in Nebraska.
Saturday’s elections are the first polls since Super Tuesday, in which a dozen states made their choices and solidified the front-runner status of both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.
US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump holds 20-month-old Curtis Ray Jeffery during his speech to supporters at a rally at Lakefront Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 04 March 2016. Louisiana will hold its primary elections on 05 March.
In the aftermath of Super Tuesday, the Republican establishment has been struggling to prevent the billionaire newcomer from seizing the conservative party’s nomination for the fall elections. Nevertheless, Trump remains well ahead in polls for the Republican contests, though he has yet to amass enough delegates to put him entirely out of reach of his competitors.
His remaining competition includes US senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, and Ohio Governor John Kasich. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson quit the race this week.
This week both Mitt Romney and John McCain, the 2012 and 2008 Republican presidential nominees respectively, spoke forcefully against Trump being the nominee.
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton poses for photos after she gave a talk on jobs and the economy at Detroit Manufacturing Systems in Detroit, Michigan, USA, 04 March 2016.
In the Democratic races, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton leads voter surveys over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Trump has 329 delegates so far, compared to his nearest rival, Cruz, with 231, according to RealClearPolitics; 1,237 delegates are needed to win.
Clinton has won 1,058 delegates – almost half the amount needed – while Sanders has 431 after Super Tuesday.
