US, presidential front runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were yesterday declared the official winners of the Missouri primaries, nearly a month after they were held. The March, 15th votes in both parties were extremely close.
Clinton and rival Bernie Sanders were neck and neck, as were Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander finally certified the result, tweeting Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have officially won Missouri.
Democratic Clinton earned 49.6 per cent of the vote, to 49.36 per cent for Sanders, a margin of 1,574 votes. On the Republican side, Trump earned 40.84 per cent of the vote, to 40.63 per cent for Cruz, a difference of 1,965 votes. The next primaries are set to take place on April 19th in New York.
Meanwhile, US House Speaker Paul Ryan has officially ruled out making a late attempt to become the Republican presidential nominee. Mr Ryan’s name was floated as a late contender if there is a contested convention in July, as doubts persist over the strength of the candidates. If Donald Trump, John Kasich nor Ted Cruz is able to win 1,237 delegates, the convention will be contested. The state by state primary contests, which come to New York next week, determine the number of delegates pledged to a particular candidate.
