Super Tuesday Live: Donald Trump adds to delegate lead

Washington: Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton rolled up a series of big primary wins on Tuesday, as the two presidential front-runners looked to take command of their party nominating battles on the 2016 campaign's biggest night of voting.

But Republican Ted Cruz, a US senator from Texas, won his home state and neighbouring Oklahoma, bolstering his argument he had the best chance to stop the controversial Trump. US Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the favorite of the Republican establishment, had yet to register a win.

Here’s a minute to minute update (All times US) :

1:08 am

Donald Trump added to his lead in the race for delegates on Super Tuesday. But his gains were muted because every state awarded delegates in proportion to the vote, so even candidates who lost still collected delegates.Trump won at least 192 delegates in Tuesday's contests. Ted Cruz collected at least 132 delegates and Marco Rubio picked up at least 66.

John Kasich won at least 19 delegates and Ben Carson won at least three.

There were 595 Republican delegates at stake in 11 states. There were still 183 delegates left to be allocated.

Overall, Trump leads with 274 delegates. Cruz has 149, Rubio has 82, Kasich has 25 and Carson has eight.

It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.

12:33 am

Donald Trump has built a sizeable lead in the race for delegates by winning at least seven states on Super Tuesday.

Trump won at least 186 delegates in Tuesday's presidential primary contests. Ted Cruz collected at least 125 delegates and Marco Rubio picked up at least 62.

John Kasich won at least 18 delegates and Ben Carson has won at least three.

There were 595 Republican delegates at stake in 11 states.

Overall, Trump leads with 268 delegates. Cruz has 142, Rubio has 78, Kasich has 24 and Carson has eight.

It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.

12:15 am

Hillary Clinton has won a majority of Super Tuesday delegates.

Her wins in seven states have now earned her 441 of the 865 delegates at stake for the evening. Sanders is on track to win at least 262.

The Democratic contests award delegates in proportion to the vote, meaning that even the loser wins some. Votes are still being tallied to determine the final margins of victory in several states.

Including superdelegates, Clinton now has at least 989 delegates in the overall AP delegate count. Sanders has at least 349.

11:55 pm

Donald Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in Vermont, claiming his latest victory in the string of nomination contests known as Super Tuesday.

His win in Vermont places him well-ahead of his rivals who significantly trail him in delegates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won contests in Oklahoma and Texas Tuesday, and Sen. Marco Rubio scored his first win in Minnesota. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have not won any of the races since the nomination contest began a month ago.

11:50 pm

It was a hard-fought win for Hillary Clinton in Massachusetts, helping her solidify her overall delegate lead so far over Bernie Sanders.

With 91 delegates at stake, the two candidates are on track to split spoils in that state fairly evenly. Clinton will pick up at least 44; Sanders will gain at least 41.

For the evening, Clinton has now won at least 421 of the 865 delegates at stake, and Sanders at least 232.

Including super delegates, Clinton now has at least 969 delegates. Sanders has at least 319. It takes 2,382 delegates to win.

11:35 pm

Hillary Clinton has won the Democratic presidential primary in Massachusetts, picking up her first victory in rival Bernie Sanders' native New England.

Not including this win, Clinton picked up victories in six states, including Texas as well as the American Samoa, overtaking Sanders' victories in smaller states such as Vermont and Oklahoma.

Clinton held a solid delegate lead for the night even prior to her Massachusetts win, having won six of the 11 states at stake. She has won at least 377 delegates from the Super Tuesday contests; Sanders has gained at least 191.

11:20 pm

Democrat Bernie Sanders has earned his latest win in the Super Tuesday nomination contest, this time in Minnesota.

The Vermont senator won the state's caucuses, beating rival Hillary Clinton in his fourth win of the night.

He also won contests in Colorado, Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont.

11:15 pm

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has won the Republican presidential caucuses in Minnesota, earning his first victory in the 2016 race for the White House.

Rubio won second place in Nevada and South Carolina but still trails rivals Donald Trump and fellow Sen. Ted Cruz in the much-needed delegates needed to win his party's nomination.

But Rubio has won overwhelming support from members of Congress and governors who see him as the most viable alternative to the billionaire businessman, who holds a commanding lead in delegates a month into the contest.

11:10 pm

Bernie Sanders won the Minnesota Democratic caucus, claiming his third victory in the string of contests known as Super Tuesday.

Sanders also won Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont.

His rival, Hillary Clinton, captured Virginia, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee.

A few states have yet to be called.

Sanders had also claimed a victory in the New Hampshire primary last month but trails Clinton in the delegate chase.

10:30 pm

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says the only way to stop Donald Trump from becoming the GOP nominee and winning the general election may be to rally behind Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

"Ted Cruz is not my favourite by any means," Graham, a former candidate, told CBS News on Super Tuesday, when a dozen states held contests to choose party nominees. "But we may be in a position where rallying around Ted Cruz is the only way to stop Donald Trump and I'm not so sure that would work."

Graham called both Trump and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton "crazy" and said the Republican party is bound to lose to Clinton if an alternative to Trump is not found.

He joked that his comments should be taken with a grain of salt since his own presidential campaign did not get off the ground.

10:25 pm

Ted Cruz is drawing sharp contrasts between himself and Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

He said he and Trump differ on Israel, the Iranian nuclear deal and the possibility of compromising over a choice for the Supreme Court.

He also asked if parents would be willing to vote for a candidate whose words "you wouldn't want your children to repeat."

Cruz captured two states during the string of contests known as Super Tuesday: Oklahoma and his home state of Texas. Trump won six.

Neither John Kasich nor Mario Rubio has won a state and Cruz strongly suggested they should drop out so the anti-Trump factions could coalesce around him.

10:22 pm

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson told a crowded banquet hall at a hotel in downtown Baltimore that he's not giving up, despite trailing behind all the other Republican candidates on Super Tuesday.

Carson took the stage Tuesday at the Grand Hotel in Baltimore and called the political system "rotten to the core."

"They have weaved such a complex web," Carson said.

Carson did not mention any of his opponents by name, but told his supporters, "our nation is in horrible trouble. Why sit there and talk about each other and tear each other down when we have such important issues to deal with?"

10:20 pm

Ted Cruz, who won Oklahoma and his home state of Texas, is calling for some of his Republican rivals to drop out.

Though he did not mention Marco Rubio or John Kasich by name, he made it clear that he felt they should drop out so Republicans could consolidate around him as a viable alternative to Trump.

He asked them "prayerfully consider" the future of their campaigns.

He declared that as long as the Republican field remained divided, Donald Trump would have a path to nomination, which he declared "a total disaster" for his party.

He noted repeatedly that he is only other candidate to win a state: he also captured Iowa last month.

Trump has won Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Arkansas on Super Tuesday.

10:15 pm

Donald Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in Arkansas.

Trump has won Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. Ted Cruz has captured Texas and Oklahoma.

Speaking earlier Tuesday in Florida, Trump insisted that he has "expanded the Republican party," claiming that he is responsible for higher voter turnout in the primary states.

9:55 pm

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is insisting that he has "expanded the Republican party," claiming that he is responsible for higher voter turnout in the primary states.

Despite heightened efforts by the GOP establishment to stop him, Trump says he is "a unifier" who soon wanted to put internal Republican squabbles behind him to focus on Hillary Clinton.

He criticized Clinton's track record said she "isn't going to straight it out" over the next four years if elected president.

But he also did could not resist taking swipes at Marco Rubio, who he dubbed "the little senator." He mocked Rubio for not having won a single state.

He is paying tribute to Ted Cruz who captured Texas and Oklahoma.

Trump was victorious in Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.

9:50 pm

More than 500 Cruz supporters roared when Texas was called for Ted Cruz moments after statewide polls closed.

But their chants of "Ted! Ted! Ted! Ted" were cut short when news feeds shifted a few seconds later to Marco Rubio's speech.

Some in the crowd booed, and when Rubio thanked Miami and said it was great to be home, a man yelled "Stay there!"

Boos got even louder when Donald Trump began speaking a little while later.

Cruz is holding a party at the "Red Neck Country Club" honkytonk outside his hometown of Houston, where cowboy boots are the preferred footwear.

The first-term senator has won the contests in Texas and Oklahoma but he is lagging behind Trump overall.

9:45 pm

Donald Trump is marking his several victories on Super Tuesday and is looking forward to a general election fight against Hillary Clinton.

Trump, speaking at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, was introduced by former rival New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who endorsed him last week.

Trump won Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. Ted Cruz has captured Texas and Oklahoma.

Trump, who has a commanding lead in delegates, mocked Marco Rubio for "having a tough night" because he did not win any states.

And he said that Clinton's call earlier in the night to "make America whole again" - itself a rebuttal to Trump's "Make America Great Again" rallying cry - was an inferior slogan.

9:42 pm

Bernie Sanders isn't making up much ground in delegates after his win in Oklahoma.

With 38 delegates at stake, Sanders will gain at least 20 delegates in that state. Clinton will get at least 11.

In all, Clinton has won six states including Texas as well as the American Samoa, overtaking Sanders' victories in smaller states such as Vermont and Oklahoma.

Clinton is now assured of winning at least 334 of the 865 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday. That's compared to Sanders, who at least 145.

Including super delegates, Clinton now has at least 882 delegates. Sanders has at least 232. It takes 2,383 delegates to win.

9:40 pm

Donald Trump has won at least 139 Super Tuesday delegates, while Ted Cruz has won at least 52.

There are 595 Republican delegates at stake in 11 states.

Marco Rubio has won at least 25 delegates and John Kasich has won at least 13. So far, Ben Carson has picked up two delegates in Virginia.

Overall, Trump leads with 221 delegates. Cruz has 69, Rubio has 41, Kasich has 19 and Carson has seven.

It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.

9:15 pm

As other candidates hold tradition election night watch and victory parties, Donald Trump is once again breaking the mold.

The billionaire businessman will be holding a news conference late Tuesday to thank supporters in what has thus far been a strong night for the GOP front-runner in the Super Tuesday contests.

Reporters have been gathered for hours in a Versailles-worthy room at his sprawling Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, adorned with gold-leaf detailing, columns, and three enormous crystal chandeliers.

They're also serving cookies.

9:10 pm

Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic presidential primary in Oklahoma. He also captured his home state of Vermont.

Sanders also won New Hampshire earlier this campaign.

His opponent, Hillary Clinton, racked up several victories during the string of contests known as Super Tuesday. She also won Georgia, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas.

9:07 pm

Hillary Clinton's victory in Texas is paying off big in delegates.

With 222 delegates at stake, she is assured of winning at least 120 in that state alone. Bernie Sanders will receive at least 42.

That means a wider lead for her over Sanders in the overall AP delegate count.

Clinton's win in six states and American Samoa so far assure her of at least 318 of the 865 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday. Sanders, who had a victory in Vermont, has at least 124. The Democratic contests award delegates based on the proportion to the vote, so even the loser receives some.

Including superdelegates, Clinton has at least 866 delegates to date. Sanders has at least 211. It takes 2,383 delegates to win.

9:05 pm

Marco Rubio, speaking at a Super Tuesday rally at his hometown in Miami, is criticizing the night's big winner among Republicans: Donald Trump.

Rubio said that over the last five days he has begun "to unmask the true nature" of Trump, whom he called a "con artist."

He said his recent attacks on Trump have given his campaign momentum and said that Trump did not represent the legacy of the "party of Reagan."

Trump has won several states on Tuesday: Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts and Tennessee. Ted Cruz has captured Oklahoma and his home state of Texas.

Rubio has yet to win a state, but his upbeat speech was full of promises to continue fighting and vowing to win his home state of Florida later this month.

9:05 pm

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has won another Republican primary - this time in Oklahoma.

Cruz topped his rivals in Oklahoma, having just won in his home state of Texas.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has already won the Republican races in Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Massachusetts and Tennessee.

9:02 pm

Hillary Clinton, triumphant in several states on during a string of primaries known as Super Tuesday, turned her attention during her victory rally toward her possible Republican opponents.

Clinton decried the GOP for "turning its back" on America's working and middle class citizens. She criticized what she called the angry, divisive rhetoric from the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump, though she did not name him.

Clinton has opened up a commanding lead in delegates thanks in part to her wins Tuesday in Georgia, Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.

She also congratulated Bernie Sanders for competing hard in several states. He captured Vermont.

9:00 pm

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrat Hillary Clinton have won the presidential primaries in Texas.

This is the first win for Cruz during the group of Super Tuesday contests and his second win since the leadoff Iowa caucuses.

Clinton earned her latest win in the string of contests known as Super Tuesday. She has also won the Democratic primaries in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, putting her ahead of her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has won the race in his home state of Vermont.

Texas is home to the largest number of delegates up for grabs in both parties on Super Tuesday.