Front-runners Trump, Clinton win NY primary

NEW YORK -- Front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton swept to victory with ease in Tuesday's New York primary, with Mr Trump bouncing back from a difficult stretch in the Republican contest and Mrs Clinton pushing closer to locking up the Democratic nomination.

Mr Trump's victory was a psychological boost for his campaign. He captured more than 50% of the vote in New York and was headed toward a big delegate haul in his home state, a commanding showing that keeps him on a path to the Republican nomination if he continues to win. He claimed at least half of the 95 delegates at stake, and was likely to add to his tally in individual congressional districts.

"We don't have much of a race anymore,'' he said during a victory rally in the lobby of the Manhattan tower bearing his name. He peppered his confident remarks with more references to the economy and other policy proposals than normal, reflecting the influence of a new team of advisers seeking to professionalise his campaign.

Mrs Clinton's triumph padded her delegate lead over rival Bernie Sanders, depriving him of a crucial opportunity to narrow the margin. Mr Sanders vowed to compete through all of the voting contests, though his odds of overtaking Mrs Clinton at this stage in the race are low.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrates victory in the New York state primary with husband and former US president Bill Clinton, April 19 in New York City. Mrs Clinton won the New York primary, galvanizing her bid to win the Democratic nomination for the White House. (AFP photo)

"The race for the nomination is in the home stretch, and victory is in sight,'' Mrs Clinton declared to cheering supporters.
With 247 delegates at stake, Mrs Clinton picked up at least 104 while Mr Sanders gained at least 85. Many remained to be allocated, pending final vote tallies.

"We've got a shot to victory,'' Mr Sanders said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We have come a very long way in the last 11 months, and we are going to fight this out until the end of the process.''

Overall, Mr Trump leads the Republican race with 804 delegates, ahead of Senator Ted Cruz with 559 and Ohio governor John Kasich with 144. Securing the Republican nomination requires 1,237.

Among Democrats, Mrs Clinton has 1,862 delegates to Mr Sanders' 1,161. Those totals include both pledged delegates from primaries and caucuses and superdelegates, the party insiders who can back the candidate of their choice regardless of how their state votes. It takes 2,383 to win the Democratic nomination.
Mr Sanders spent Tuesday in Pennsylvania, as did Mr Trump's main rival Mr Cruz. The Texas senator panned Mr Trump's win as little more than "a politician winning his home state,'' then implored Republicans to unite around his candidacy.

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks after winning the New York state primary on April 19 in New York City. Mr Trump held the press conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan. (AFP photo)

"We must unite the Republican Party because doing so is the first step in uniting all Americans,'' Mr Cruz said in remarks read off a teleprompter.
The fight for New York's delegate haul consumed the presidential contenders for two weeks, an eternity in the fast-moving White House race. Candidates blanketed every corner of New York, bidding for votes from Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs to the working class cities and rural enclaves that dot the rest of the state.
Mr Trump needed a strong showing to keep alive his chances of clinching the Republican nomination before the party's July convention -- and to quiet critics who say the long primary season has exposed big deficiencies in his campaign effort.
Having spent months relying on a slim staff, Mr Trump has started hiring more seasoned campaign veterans. He acknowledges that bringing new people into his orbit may cause some strife, but says the moves were necessary at this stage of the race.
Mr Cruz is trying to stay close enough in the delegate count to push the Republican race to a contested convention. Mr Cruz's campaign feels confident that it's mastered the complicated process of lining up individual delegates who could shift their support to the Texas senator after a first round of convention balloting.

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally at the Rec Hall at Penn State University on April 19 in University Park, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania will hold its primary election on April 26. (AFP photo)

Mr Kasich, the only other Republican left in the race, was seeking to add to his scant delegate total and keep up his bid to play a long-shot spoiler at the convention. Mr Kasich has refused to end his campaign despite winning only his home state.
Mr Trump's political strength, though he boasts of drawing new members to the party, has left some Republicans concerned that his nomination could splinter the Republicans. Among Republican voters in New York, nearly 6 in 10 said the nominating contest is dividing the party, according to exit polls.