Hillary Clinton and
Donald J. Trumpoverwhelmed their rivals in the Arizona primaries on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, a show of might from two presidential front-runners who are hoping to avoid prolonging the nominating contest and begin training their fire on each other.
Senator
Bernie Sanders routed Mrs. Clinton in the Utah Democratic caucuses, though, offsetting some of her delegate gains and demonstrating his enduring appeal among liberal activists even as she closes in on the party’s nomination.
Mrs. Clinton’s commanding victory in Arizona gave her the day’s biggest prize as Western Democrats also caucused in Idaho.
Speaking to supporters in Seattle, Mrs. Clinton acknowledged her success in Arizona but ignored Mr. Sanders. She used her remarks to address the terrorist assault on Brussels and turned toward an attack on Mr. Trump and Senator
Ted Cruz, the two leading Republican contenders.
“The last thing we need, my friends, are leaders who incite more fear,” Mrs. Clinton said. “In the face of terror, America doesn’t panic. We don’t build walls or turn our backs on our allies. We can’t throw out everything we know about what works and what doesn’t and start torturing.”
Mr. Trump easily defeated Mr. Cruz in Arizona, taking all 58 of its delegates and adding to his lead. But Mr. Cruz was vying to capture more than 50 percent of Utah Republicans in hopes of claiming all 40 of that state’s delegates and limiting Mr. Trump’s gains.
The victories recorded by Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump showcased the strengths that have propelled them to huge advantages in their respective nomination fights. Mrs. Clinton once again demonstrated her loyal following among older and nonwhite Democrats, both significant constituencies in Arizona. And Mr. Trump proved his appeal among immigration hard-liners, who make up a large bloc of Republicans in the border state.
Mrs. Clinton’s triumph in Arizona, with its 75 delegates, not only extended her lead over Mr. Sanders, it also offered a psychological boost as she heads into a stretch of contests in states likely to favor Mr. Sanders, like Alaska and Washington, where losses could underscore her lingering vulnerabilities among Democrats.
A hoarse Mr. Sanders, speaking to thousands of supporters in San Diego, claimed some credit for what he called “record-breaking turnouts.” Ignoring his lopsided loss in Arizona, he noted that he had won 10 contests so far and predicted he would win “a couple more tonight.”
Republicans hoping to stop Mr. Trump suffered another blow as he carried Arizona by a wide margin: He was on a course to receive more votes than Mr. Cruz and Gov.
John Kasich of Ohio combined. If his opponents fail to defeat him in Wisconsin, where voters go to the polls in two weeks, they are unlikely to stop him from clinching the nomination on the last day of voting in June.
Mr. Trump’s easy victory in Arizona also provided a sharp rebuttal to assertions by Mr. Cruz that he would struggle in the remaining contests because so many of them allow only Republicans to vote. Aided by Arizona’s generous early-voting laws, Mr. Trump showed that he can win handily in states with closed Republican primaries, where Democrats and independents are barred from voting.
Mr. Trump’s more precise vulnerability appears to have been in states holding caucuses, where organizational strength can be decisive. But after Tuesday, there are no such contests left.
Turnout by voters in Arizona, Utah and Idaho was unusually high, with long lines — some snaking for several blocks — at polling places and caucus sites.
The ballot counting in Arizona was delayed as officials extended voting to account for people who were waiting in line, for hours in some cases, when the polls closed at 7 p.m. In Utah, some Democratic caucus sites had to print additional ballots to accommodate the turnout.
Tuesday’s Western contests came as Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton have both demonstrated strength in a string of recent primaries.
Mr. Trump, who
won four of the five contests on March 15, including Florida and Illinois, has built a substantial delegate advantage over Mr. Cruz, and he campaigned aggressively in Arizona in the hopes of capitalizing on his success and reinforcing the perception that his nomination is inevitable.
He drew thousands of supporters last weekend to events
near Phoenix and in Tucson, both of which drew impassioned protests.
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