Trump, Clinton win Florida; Rubio drops out
TAMPA (FOX 13) - There were no Primary Night surprises in the Sunshine State. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump lived up to their front-runner status in their respective parties, while Sen. Marco Rubio dropped out.
With nearly all of the votes counted, Trump was ahead of Rubio by over 18 percent and dominating nearly every county, with the exception of Rubio's backyard, Miami-Dade.
"I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his big victory in Florida," Rubio said to his supporters not long after 8 p.m., moments before announcing that he had suspended his campaign.
Trump's rally, some two hours later, struck a much different tone. But Trump made a point to congratulate Rubio on a tough campaign.
"He's tough, he's smart, and he's got a great future," Trump said of his former rival.
Rubio was widely expected to drop out of the race if he was unable to come away from his own state with a win or at least a strong showing.
"When you don't win your home state, you don't have much of a chance to go forward," St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman observed after watching Rubio's speech.
"It's kind of a sad night for Florida," Republican strategist Adam Goodman agreed, referencing the failed campaigns of Jeb Bush and, now, Rubio.
Clinton, meanwhile, held off Sen. Bernie Sanders by 30 percent.
"To say Clinton HQ is jubilant right now would be an understatement. It's early, but they don't care," FOX 13's Evan Axelbank tweeted early in the evening from her watch party in Palm Beach.
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