March 15 has been circled on presidential primary calendars for months as a big make-or-break election date for 2016 – and here’s why.
For the Republicans, winner-take-all primaries come into play for the first time this year, where the candidate with the most votes in three big states get each state’s entire delegate count. In addition, two other big states will be parsing out delegates. Frontrunner Donald Trump could take a big step toward the GOP by sweeping the three winner-take-all states. Marco Rubio’s fate also hangs in the balance in Florida.
For the Democrats, the same five big states are in play in proportional elections. Bernie Sanders will hope to make inroads after his win last week in Michigan. But without winner-take-all primaries for the Democrats, a knockout blow isn’t in the cards for Hillary Clinton, unless she wins by huge margins on Tuesday.
Tuesday, March 15
Republicans
Current Delegate Count: Donald Trump 464, Ted Cruz 372, Marco Rubio 166, John Kasich 63, Uncommitted 22, Ben Carson 8, Jeb Bush 4, Carly Fiorina 1, Mike Huckabee 1, Rand Paul 1.
Need To Win Nomination: 1,237
Votes Counted Nationally So Far: 60 percent
At Stake On Tuesday: 357 delegates, or 15 percent of total
States/Territories:
Florida (99 delegates) – Winner Take All
Illinois (69 delegates) – Winner Take All
Missouri (52 delegates) – Winner Take Most
North Carolina (72 delegates) – Proportional
Northern Marianas (9 delegates) – Caucus
Ohio (66 delegates) – Winner Take All
Democrats
Current Delegate Count: Clinton 1,239, Sanders 576, O'Malley 1 (Soft Delegate count)
Votes Counted Nationally So Far: 50 percent
Need To Win Nomination: 2,383
At Stake On Tuesday: 793 delegates, or 16.5 percent of total
States/Territories:
Florida (246 delegates) – Proportional
Illinois (182 delegates) – Proportional
Missouri (84 delegates) – Proportional
North Carolina (121 delegates) – Proportional
Ohio (159 delegates) – Proportional
