CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Ted Cruz defied Donald Trump’s rolling victory party, pulling off a win in his home state of Texas, networks are projecting now. The win was not totally unexpected, but it was crucial for Cruz, who desperately needed a victory in a Southern state. Cruz still trails Trump badly in the delegate count, but at least he was able to show that he could hold his own state against the Trump juggernaut.
BREAKING: Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz win Texas. @AP race call at 9:00 p.m. EST. #Election2016 #APracecall #SuperTuesday
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 2, 2016
The big question may be how well Trump and Rubio do. A candidate must win at least 20 percent of the vote to qualify for any chunk of the Lone Star State’s 155 delegates—the big prize of Super Tuesday. Trump will almost certainly make that threshold, but at the moment Rubio is hovering just below 20 percent, meaning that Cruz and Trump could share all the delegates.
UPDATE, March 1, Tuesday, 9:15 p.m. ET: Multiple networks are calling Oklahoma for Cruz, too, giving him a second win on a night that’s otherwise belonged largely to Trump.
