LAS VEGAS /COLUMBIA, S.C. – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump rolled to victory on Saturday in South Carolina in a contest that saw former Florida Governor Jeb Bush drop out, while Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton beat back a strong challenge from Bernie Sanders in Nevada.
The victories by Trump and Clinton solidified their positions as the front-runners to win their parties’ respective nominations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election.
The night’s most prominent casualty, Bush suffered a distant fourth place finish in the Republican contest and announced he had suspended his campaign.
Trump had 32.5 percent, followed by Rubio with 22.5 percent and Cruz with 22.3 percent.
Former Secretary of State Clinton’s victory in the Nevada Democratic caucuses, meanwhile, could help calm worries among the Democratic establishment about the strength of her campaign.
The former first lady was leading with 52.6 percent of the vote to Sanders’ 47.4 percent.
Clinton’s victory gave her fresh momentum as she heads into the next contest in South Carolina on Feb. 27, where polls show her with a double-digit lead largely as a result of heavy support from black voters.

Source: Reuters/The Hill, Feb 21, 2016