COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton are cementing their status as presidential front-runners with strong performances among demographic groups at the core of their two parties, developments that put tremendous pressure on their top rivals as the nominating contests head into delegate-rich March.
Trump built a varied coalition in his South Carolina primary victory Saturday, according to exit polls conducted for the Associated Press and television networks. But it was the bombastic billionaire’s surprisingly strong performance among self-described evangelicals in South Carolina that helped him notch another double-digit victory and sweep all 50 delegates.
It was a grave blow to Ted Cruz, who invested heavily in his pursuit of religious conservatives here only to apparently finish a narrow third behind Marco Rubio, and it raises questions about whether Cruz can catch Trump in the March 1 glut of Southern primaries that the Texas senator has for months identified as his best path to the nomination.
For Democrats, Clinton’s Nevada caucus victory over Bernie Sanders affirmed her strength among black voters. Like white evangelicals for Republicans, minority voters will play key roles in upcoming Democratic primaries, starting with the South Carolina on Feb. 27.
Among South Carolina Republicans who voted on Saturday, more than 7 out 10 described themselves as born-again Christians, and those voters were slightly more likely to say they voted for Trump (33 percent) than Cruz (27 percent). Trump even came close to Cruz among the 4 out of 10 who said it matters a “great deal” that a candidate share their religious beliefs. Among the remainder who said religion matters only “somewhat” or less, Trump did significantly better than Cruz.