Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton are one step closer to be nominated as party leaders.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton notched resounding victories in New York Tuesday night, answering questions about their command of the race as the front-runners moved significantly closer to their party's nominations.
Both Trump and Clinton have fought bitterly for months to keep their rivals at bay, each slogging through primary contests that exposed vulnerabilities in their candidacies and campaigns.
On Tuesday, Trump came close to sweeping New York's 95 delegates -- a development that could help the Manhattan real estate mogul win the GOP nomination outright and avoid what would be an explosive and messy contested convention in July.
Clinton's win, meanwhile, will go a long way in blunting the momentum of Bernie Sanders - the liberal Vermont senator whose unexpected popularity has dogged the former secretary of state.
It was a sweet homecoming for the front-runners, who each have deep ties to New York.
Last year, Trump and Clinton - in wildly different settings - launched their White House campaigns in New York City. On Tuesday, it was again in Manhattan that both Trump and Clinton confidently declared that they were within reach of the ultimate prize.
In a victory speech in the lobby of Trump Tower, Trump said Cruz was "just about mathematically eliminated." "We don't have much of a race anymore," Trump boomed. "We're going to go into the convention I think as the winner."
His remarks suggested he may take a less harsh tone against his GOP competitors in the weeks ahead. While Trump slammed Cruz, he called him "senator" instead of his favorite nickname: "Lyin' Ted."
The New York GOP primary confirmed the voter sentiments that have propelled Trump's remarkable campaign. According to CNN exit polls, the billionaire businessman was the overwhelming favorite among Republican voters who said the next president should be "outside the establishment," as well as those who are angry at or dissatisfied with the federal government. More than 9 in 10 Republican voters who said a presidential candidate's top quality is to "tell it like it is" backed Trump.
