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2016 Race Stoking Racial Tensions?; Trump, Clinton Win Big on Super Tuesday; Post-Super Tuesday Coverage. Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired March 02, 2016 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00] JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Got beat up in the streets of Chicago by the Democratic mayor of Chicago in 1968.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: 1968, the year I was born. This doesn't make any sense, Jeffrey.
LORD: It still keeps going.
JONES: Listen, this doesn't make any sense.
LORD: It makes perfect sense.
JONES: Why do you continue to raise stuff from --
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: Because it's history.
JONES: Listen, it doesn't --
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Jeffrey --
JONES: Something happened to your kid right now.
CAMEROTA: But, Jeffrey --
JONES: If something happened to your kid right now, and I say, well guess what, 30 years ago something else happened. You would say, you know what, you don't care about my kid. And that is what we hear from you.
LORD: Van, Van. Let me ask you.
JONES: You don't care.
LORD: Let me ask you. Do think slavery mattered?
JONES: Absolutely it matters.
LORD: Well, then that's all I'm trying to tell you.
JONES: But hold on a second. What I would say is, I probably heard a little bit about slavery in my lifetime to put my own --
LORD: Yes. JONES: And if I'm sitting here telling you as an African-American
parent that I am concerned about what's happening to black kids today you continuing to raise stuff from 50 years --
LORD: I am saying they are connected.
JONES: It seems like you don't care about my kids.
LORD: I am saying they are connected.
JONES: Do you share --
LORD: Your kids are being treated this way because of the conduct for your party for 200 years. And --
JONES: Listen, parties change over time.
LORD: The point is you have not stopped.
JONES: It starts to get point of view.
LORD: You have not stopped.
JONES: No, listen. Jeffrey, here is the deal. The Republican Party was the party of liberation and the Democratic Party was the party of liberty. Caring more about properties than people. That began to switch over the last century. Anybody with two eyes knows that.
LORD: No.
JONES: Why is this more important to you than the fear that I have and so many blacks have across the country?
LORD: Because I'm trying to say that this is still being used today, the same old formula. Racism to fuel progressivism is what is being used today. David Duke was a big fan of Occupy Wall Street, as was President Obama. That's today. That's not 150 years ago.
JONES: It's almost --
CAMEROTA: Jeffrey, are you hearing -- are you hearing that Van is saying, and that he represents a large swath of people who say that they were hurt and offended by what Donald Trump said in -- OK. He said it on Friday then he disavowed the KKK. He tweeted after it after Jake Tapper's show, but on Jake Tapper's show, he seemed to be tap dancing for some reason and that offended people. Do you get that?
LORD: What I -- sure, I get it because I believe that this is where we've come to. When everything is about race, that's what's going to happen. That's what's going to happen.
JONES: I think it's a misunderstanding.
LORD: This was inconsequential -- I mean, where was President Obama, for example, at Justice Scalia's funeral? Am I supposed to take great offense at that?
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Jeffrey, Jeffrey. Let's just do it maybe by analogy. Because, again, look, this is a good conversation. Everybody wants to wind up in the --
LORD: It is a good conversation.
CUOMO: In the right place. Why you political guys have to make everything about parties? I don't quite understand.
JONES: I never raised party.
CUOMO: But you kind of go back and forth about who's party changed and when. Look, if I -- if you were running for office and I asked you in the past you had said I -- I hate al Qaeda, I hate ISIS. And then one time I ask you, and you said, you know, look, I don't know anything about this ISIS. You know, I -- you don't want me to condemn a group I don't know anything about.
You would look at me like I had two heads. That is the analogy to this situation.
LORD: Chris. Chris. Chris.
CUOMO: He disavowed David Duke in the past.
LORD: Chris.
CUOMO: He knew damn well who he was.
LORD: Chris.
CUOMO: And for some reason he didn't pull the trigger this time.
LORD: What I am saying to you is that to suggest that is -- what I hear is that the undertone of all this is to paint Donald Trump and, what, the conservative movement, Rush Limbaugh, everybody as a bunch of white supremacists?
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: That's what I hear.
CAMEROTA: What other explanation is there? I know --
LORD: That is what I hear.
CUOMO: I don't accept that. I don't accept that, by the way. I don't accept that premise. I actually reached out to Trump as soon as I could after it and said, you should come on and clarify this because I haven't heard you say anything like this before. So certainly I wasn't looking at (INAUDIBLE). What I'm saying, Jeffrey, is what other explanation is there for backing off a position that you supposedly so strongly hold?
LORD: Chris, you are attributing the deliberateness to this. CAMEROTA: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
LORD: There is no reason. There's no reason for him to deliberately do it when he'd done it the other way repeatedly.
JONES: Look. Look.
CAMEROTA: So you think that it was not deliberate? What happened on --
LORD: No.
CAMEROTA: It was not deliberate. That was --
LORD: No.
JONES: Let me say something here. I've got to say something here. If you are African-American and you are watching this, with regard -- I can't tell you, this thing trended on Twitter for two hours globally last night. I've heard from everybody I've ever known for like -- literally, in third grade. The reason that African-Americans flinched not just when he kind of hedged a little bit, which may have been a dauntless or it may not have been, we were up earlier because he goes, well, look, I disavow.
Hold on a second. I disavow? ISIS endorses me? I disavow. Let's move on. Wait a minute. There's a moment there. A leadership moment. You aggressively say, I don't want this. This people are wrong. Everything you see about Donald Trump is passion and he will do something and it will take a whole media cycle.
You are being endorsed by the equivalent of ISIS and all you say is I disavow? We were shocked. That sent -- that sent the shockwaves. Then when he comes back and is even more hedgy, that's when the floor fell out from under the black community and we are very concerned because this man can be the president. And if you are the president you should be leading. You shouldn't be hedging. You should ne -- have a chance to denounce terrorism in my own country and you don't it and you're Donald Trump? Something's wrong. That is our feeling about it. Something's wrong.
CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Jeffrey.
[09:05:01] LORD: Does it ever occur to you that Donald Trump thinks that the clan is terrible and it's a stupid subject?
CUOMO: Yes.
JONES: Why is it stupid?
CUOMO: Yes.
LORD: Why? Why?
JONES: A terrorist organization?
CUOMO: Yes.
JONES: In the United States?
CUOMO: I think that's exactly what he believes.
LORD: Well, then if it's not stupid then that's the point I'm trying to make to you. That is exactly the point. That this formula -- this formula of racism plus progressivism is what has been going on in this country for 200 plus years. And it is still being used to this day.
CUOMO: Jeffrey, to your point, though. You know Donald Trump very well. I know what it is like when you say something about him that he doesn't agree with. OK.
LORD: Right.
CUOMO: He did not behave that way this time. And that raised eyebrows and not just from African-Americans. You don't have to be black to feel strongly about what a hate group represents. But he didn't do it this time. You misrepresent this guy he's all over you like ugly on an ape. Not this time. This time he was careful about it. It was uncharacteristic. And raised suspicions.
He could have just come out and doubled down on it. And again he didn't. And he's had people like you come out instead and say, this is silly. You have to see that it's not consistent. I'm not saying it's pernicious but it's not consistent.
LORD: Chris, look, everybody makes mistakes as they go along. I mean, I don't know he answered the way he did. But I'm more than comfortable with the fact that he's not a racist which is the implication here.
JONES: Nobody said -- hold on.
LORD: If I thought -- if I thought you were a racist, Chris, I would not be here.
JONES: Yes, and I know he would not be here. But that's not the point. I don't think most people think that Donald Trump himself is actually racist. That's -- we should just pick up that off the table. The question is, is he willing to play funny with racism?
LORD: No. No.
JONES: Let me finish and then you can beat me up. Is he willing to play funny with racism? Is he willing to be inconsistent on this one terrorist group than every other one for political gain? I think they think he's an opportunist, not a racist.
CAMEROTA: OK. And so, Jeffrey, I mean, just respond to that. He's saying that he thinks that Donald Trump did this intentionally.
LORD: Right. CAMEROTA: Because for that base, that small percentage of the country
that feels that way, they would rush out in droves to vote for him.
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: Let me clarify. Let me clarify it. It's a little bit more subtle. I think it's that him being the strong white guy who's not going to get pushed around by --
LORD: Strong guy. Not strong white guy. Strong guy.
JONES: Strong white guy. Who won't get pushed around by the PC stuff as a part of his brand. And that he sees -- I think the thing is if I back down on this one it is going to hurt me. But I think people think he's opportunistically pushing buttons that can help him and hurt everybody else.
LORD: And that -- and that is the essence of the playing the race card. Right there.
JONES: Me saying he's playing the race card? It's me playing the race card?
LORD: Yes.
JONES: That's too Meta. That's my brain that's coming out my head.
LORD: Well, yes.
CUOMO: You're saying he's playing the race card can beat you playing the race card. The question is, whether it's not appropriate. And it takes us back to this central question, Jeffrey. He just didn't behave here the way he usually does. This is not a guy who minces words. This is not a guy who's careful. He always goes over the top. Sometimes he backs off after it, right, which is a beautiful strategy of his.
He goes really far to impress some people and he pulls back to do others. The suspicion becomes that he did that in reverse this time? Because it leaves you with an open question. Why didn't he say what he always says? That doesn't mean anybody thinks he's a racist or even an opportunist. It's just weird.
LORD: But you are suggesting he's an opportunist.
CUOMO: I am certainly not.
JONES: I am.
CUOMO: I am certainly not.
LORD: All right. He is.
CAMEROTA: That's Van.
CUOMO: I'm saying it doesn't make sense. LORD: I don't want to confuse the two of you.
CUOMO: Van, all day long. Not me, though. That's my point, is that there is a legit question. Regardless of how you feel about his answer. That's the point. And it doesn't mean that you're racist by asking that question. It doesn't mean that you're baiting by asking that question because it makes no sense. When the guy talks about immigrants you're the one who has to back him off and say he's only talking about illegal immigrants. He's gone much farther than that many times. When he's talking about Muslims he goes very far. Many times and then backs up. Here he did the opposite. Doesn't mean he's racist. Doesn't even mean he's an opportunist. Means it was weird. And it's a question.
JONES: And let me say one thing about me and Jeffrey. The reason that we can have this conversation is because actually I respect this guy. I don't agree --
LORD: Exactly.
JONES: I don't agree with him, but I respect this guy a lot. He came on this air when everybody was laughing at Donald Trump and he took incredible brick bats. And he's turning out to have been more right than wrong. And the reason I got so -- and we can go back and forth and we still -- we could do this for five hours, is because I actually respect this guy. I hope he respects me.
LORD: I do. I do --
JONES: And --
CUOMO: Well, you've got two legitimate points of view, by the way. There are a lot of people who feel for each of these categories.
JONES: And I think the Trump voters have been disrespected. There's a grievance there we haven't talked about. There are people who play the race card but I'm telling you, I'm not doing that and I don't think a lot of people were last week.
CAMEROTA: All right --
LORD: Talk and conversation is good.
CAMEROTA: Yes. On that note, gentlemen, Van Jones, Jeffrey Lord, we appreciate you both bringing the fire and your different perspectives and fighting it out here on our air. Thank you both.
CUOMO: And it is a good instruction on how to do it. You should take note.
(LAUGHTER)
[09:10:03] LORD: Stop beating up Chris, Alisyn.
CAMEROTA: I can't. It's actually just -- he makes it too easy.
CUOMO: Some things are unfixable. More intractable than race.
CAMEROTA: Indeed. CNN Super Tuesday coverage continues on "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello. Thanks for joining us.
CUOMO: Don't hit me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM. Trump and Clinton tightened their grips.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is nobody, nobody that's going to beat us.
COSTELLO: The rest of the Republican candidates not letting go.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There will never come a time in this race where our supporters are asking us to get out and rally around Donald Trump.
COSTELLO: How long until the GOP field narrows?
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So long as the field remains divided, Donald Trump's path to the nomination remains more likely.
COSTELLO: Meantime the frontrunner is looking to November.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to go after one person. That's Hillary Clinton.
COSTELLO: Who's got the edge?
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to make America whole.
TRUMP: Make America great again is going to be much better than making America whole again.
COSTELLO: Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.
Super Tuesday become surging Wednesday. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton win big bolstering their leads and making a November showdown seemed all but inevitable. Trump riding a wave of voter anger and record turnout from Arkansas all the way to Vermont. The New York billionaire wins seven states and erases the traditional boundaries of geography. Ted Cruz captures his must-win home state of Texas. He also seizes Oklahoma and Alaska. Making the case that he is now the only Republican who can beat Trump.
So-called establishment candidate Marco Rubio notches his first victory by claiming Minnesota. He now looks ahead to his home state of Florida. His only hope for survival may be a windfall of delegates in a winner-take-all state.
Turning now to the Democrats, Hillary Clinton builds on her momentum, winning seven states including a hard-fought battle in Massachusetts. Bernie Sanders wins at home in Vermont. He also nabs Oklahoma and Minnesota as expected. But Colorado was a surprise victory for him.
Our reporters and guests are scattered across the country to follow this critical day for the campaign. Let's begin, though, with CNN's Jim Acosta. He is in Riviera Beach -- he's in Riviera Beach, Florida.
Good morning Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Donald Trump certainly has the upper hand this morning. He is firmly in control for the GOP battle for the White House. But he did not accomplish a clean sweep. He did not drive his rivals out of this race. Allowing Ted Cruz and perhaps Marco Rubio to emerge once again as the men who could potentially stop Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: We have expanded the Republican Party.
ACOSTA (voice-over): It was a big night for Donald Trump. The clear frontrunner now well on his way to clinching the Republican nomination.
TRUMP: The Republicans have tremendous energy. The Democrats don't. They don't have any energy. Their numbers are down. Our numbers are through the roof.
ACOSTA: The billionaire businessman racked up seven state wins, including delegate rich Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee.
TRUMP: I think we are going to be more inclusive. I think we're going to be more unified, and I think we are going to win in November.
ACOSTA: After days of controversy over support from white supremacists, Trump tried to strike a more diplomatic tone, claiming he can unify the country.
TRUMP: I am a unifier. I know people are going to find that a little bit hard to believe, but believe me, I am a unifier.
CRUZ: The path beating him is for us to unify.
ACOSTA: Ted Cruz also called for unity, asking the other three non- Trump candidates to drop out after he won his home state of Texas, neighboring Oklahoma, and Alaska.
CRUZ: Listen, if we remain divided, then in all likelihood Donald Trump becomes the nominee. That result was made clear tonight. But I think Donald has a hard ceiling of 35 percent to 40 percent.
ACOSTA: Cruz is making the case that he's the GOP's only hope to win the White House.
CRUZ: For those who have supported other candidates, we welcome you on our team standing united as one.
ACOSTA: But Trump said GOP leaders should get behind him or else.
TRUMP: I'm going to get along great with Congress. OK. Paul Ryan, I don't know him well but I'm sure I'm going to get along great with him. And if I don't, he's going to have to pay a big price, OK?
ACOSTA: And even on a night of victories Trump continued the war of insults with Marco Rubio.
TRUMP: I know it was a very tough night for Marco Rubio. He had a tough night. But he worked hard. He spent a lot of money. He is a lightweight.
ACOSTA: But Rubio did pull off his first win in Minnesota and vowed to fight an.
RUBIO: There will never come a time in this race where our supporters are asking us to get out and rally around Donald Trump. What people are saying is fight as hard as you can to save the party of Lincoln and Reagan from a con artist who refuses to criticize the KKK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: But the stop Trump movement is picking up steam this morning.
[09:15:02] A Republican anti-Trump super PAC called Our Principles PAC announced last night it is hiring more staff, more resources, putting more resources into defeating the frontrunner before these next critical contests, which were coming quickly, Carol, on Saturday. They're spread out over the next two weeks. They are going to quickly become these winner-take-all contests.
So, that does give people like Rubio and Cruz a chance to make a comeback in this race, but sometime is simply running out for those two contenders. Ted Cruz can say he won Texas, but if Marco Rubio doesn't win Florida, Carol, it is going to be very difficult for him to shoulder on in this race, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Jim Acosta reporting live from Florida this morning.
Marco Rubio concedes he's an underdog to win the Republican nomination, but he has one advantage. He's the establishment's choice to become the standard bearer and push Trump and Cruz back to the fringes.
Joe Johns is CNN senior Washington correspondent. He's in Minneapolis this morning.
Hi, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning , Carol. Marco Rubio won the caucuses here in Minnesota with huge turnout. Ted
Cruz in second. Donald Trump in third.
But if there is a path to the nomination for Marco Rubio, it's just not clear right now. He picks up 106 delegates to the Republican national convention. Donald Trump has 300 delegates. Ted Cruz has around 200 delegates.
Now, Rubio does say that the electoral map gets better for him after Super Tuesday. But if he is able to pull off Florida, which is his home state, it is a big question and it looks like he'll still be running against the win, though he says he's going stay in the race. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is not someone that the Republicans support is going to come after me and say, hey, we need everyone around the race let's rally around the front runner now for the good of the party.
The contrary is true. The fight is to save the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln and Reagan from someone who's not just a con artist but who refuses to criticize the KKK. We cannot nominate that takes those positions. Someone who shares Hillary's positions on Planned Parenthood, who says he's going to be neutral on Iran, who basically supports government-sponsored health care, which is indistinguishable from Obamacare.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. But --
RUBIO: This is a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party and I will not give up this fight. I will go through all 50 states before we stop fighting to save the Republican Party from someone like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: It's the math that is the problem here. Right now, early polling shows Donald Trump with the big lead in the state of Florida. And a Marco Rubio cannot pull off a win in his home state under these circumstances, it really raises a question about his viability as the candidate.
Rubio today campaigning in Michigan where Donald Trump also holds a lead in the polls though it is a lot more fluid situation there, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Joe Johns, reporting live from Minneapolis this morning -- thank you.
On the GOP side, it would be over in any other year. Republicans would rally around the clear front runner, but not this election. Not when a man named Donald Trump wins big.
The headline in "The New York Daily News" this morning, riffs on Trump's campaign slogan proclaiming "Make America Migrate".
As Trump delivered his victory speech, clips of the Chris Christie's facial expressions went viral. Establishment Republicans are so completely flummoxed they're ignoring what voters want.
Scott Rigell is a Republican lawmaker from Virginia. He sent an e- mail to supporters writing quote, "Trump is a bully, unworthy of our nomination. I will not support a nominee so lacking in judgment, temperament and character that's need to be our nation's commander-in- chief. I will not support Trump in the general election", end quote.
So let's talk about this. Former Republican National Committee chief of staff Mike Shields joins us. And former Georgia congressman and Ted Cruz supporter, Bob Barr, is here as well. Also, CNN politics executive editor, Mark Preston, joins me.
Welcome all of you.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
So, Mike, a question. Mr. Trump won ten states, Republican voters have spoken. If lawmakers are elected by the people, who are they to tell voters they are wrong?
MIKE SHIELDS, FORMER RNC CHIEF OF STAFF: Yes, the voters have spoken. If you look at the numbers last night, 36 percent of the people who voted in the Republican primaries last night vote for Donald Trump, 64 percent of those voters voted for someone else. And that is why this isn't over yet.
He's certainly the front runner. He's amassing delegate but it is not over. And if you look at the places where he has shown a little bit of weakness, Oklahoma, he lost, Minnesota, he lost. These are not open primaries.
So, when you get to, we have March 8th. You're going to have Michigan and Idaho. And March 15th where you have a huge slate of winner-take- all states including Florida. There are a lot more closed primaries. This where Republican regulars, grassroots activists working in the party for years, they have a much larger influence. So I think it's a real test for Donald Trump at that point.
[09:20:01] He's shown a little bit of weakness in a closed primary as opposed to open, and last night, 64 percent of the people who voted, voted for someone else. That doesn't mean that if these people drop out, he might not get new supporters, but there is a path for someone else to deny him the nomination, especially at the convention and it is real and why this race is still going on.
COSTELLO: But still, Mark, it appears even the candidates running are not listening to the voters. Marco Rubio, for example, he's won one state. He's one in 15. That is worst than the Detroit Lions last year.
On what planet can he actually win?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, Carol, your beloved Detroit Lions. Perhaps they will do better this time.
Here is the problem for Republicans at this point. They are fighting against the clock. There are a very short period of time for a Marco Rubio or a Ted Cruz to find that path to then try to eclipse Donald Trump when it comes to delegates.
The Republican establishment very frustrated, flummoxed by Donald Trump's support. And we have to point out that Donald Trump has driven out the vote in record numbers in many of these states and we saw that last night on Super Tuesday. So Donald Trump really has become this enigma for the Republican Party.
And as Mike says, as we head into the convention in July, there's already talk here in Washington where some people are talking about not even going to the convention because Donald Trump will become the nominee. There is also talk about trying to deny him the nomination if they are able to keep the level of delegate support under the threshold needed to become the nomination.
And get this, if he does get the nominee there is even talk now of I running a third party conservative candidate against him to provide a safe haven for Republican voters and more importantly, candidates, Republican candidates running fore the House and Senate who are afraid of getting too close to Donald Trump if he becomes nuclear.
So, there is certainly a lot at stake right now, Carol.
COSTELLO: There certainly is.
I want to talk about Ted Cruz with you, Bob.
Ted Cruz is doing better. He says he can beat Donald Trump. But the exit polls shows Ted Cruz has no broad support. He just can't win a general election with evangelical support. And he's not even trying to woo moderates.
So, what's his game here? How can he possibly win?
BOB BARR (R), FORMER GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN: His game plan is precisely what he saw in Iowa and that is a very strong well-organized ground game. And what we saw last evening in Texas, Oklahoma and early this morning in Alaska when the results came in. These are all very diverse states.
You have Iowa, the heart of the Midwest. You have Alaska, Western, independent-minded state. You have his home state of Texas which is southern but western. And you have Oklahoma bordering the Midwest and the south.
So, I would argue that Mr. Trump -- Senator Cruz's support is fairly broad. And his focus right now is not on well, what is going to happen at the convention? What's going to happen two months down the road but what's going to happen tomorrow and the next day? He's out there fighting on substance each and every day.
COSTELLO: OK. So let's go back to Mark Preston's theory. And I want to address this to you, Mike.
There are rumors that Mitt Romney is going to jump in the race. Romney has not endorsed anyone. He's tweeting up a storm. Do you think he will?
SHIELDS: I mean, who knows. You know, if you are going to go to a convention where the front runner doesn't have 50 percent of the delegate, the delegates at that convention are going to choose who the nominee is. They are the Republican Party. It is their convention.
And they are going to have the ability to put names into the nomination. Now, there are some rules where you have to have won a certain number of states. So there are some things that would have to really change for someone like Mitt Romney to get involved.
But the fact of the matter is, look, if Donald Trump wins 50 percent of the delegates that makes a lot of this conversation different. But if he doesn't and he goes to the convention with fewer than 50 percent, then you have a situation where the delegates are going to choose who the nominee is for the Republican Party and all of these conversations become much more relevant.
COSTELLO: All right. I have to end it there.
Mike Shields, Bob Barr, Mark Preston, thanks to all of you.
As for Hillary Clinton, Super Tuesday solidified her standing as the Democratic front runner. Clinton winning seven of 11 states up for grabs, even eking out a win in Sanders' neighboring state of Massachusetts.
Clinton now halfway to the number of delegates needed to clinch the anonymous. And in the aftermath of their wins, both candidates praise supporters and vowed to fight on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We know we've got work to do. But that work, that work is not to make America great again. America never stopped being great. We --
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
We have to make America whole. We have to fill in. Fill in what's been hollowed out.
[09:25:03] SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This campaign as I think all of you know, this campaign is $ not just about electing a president. It is about transforming America.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
It is about making our great count try nation that we know it has the potential to be.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Our senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny joins me now with more.
Good morning, Jeff.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol.
No question Hillary Clinton had a very strong night on Super Tuesday. She won seven states as you said amassed many more delegates than Bernie Sanders across those Southern states, winning by really big margins, almost twice as much as Bernie Sanders in a lot of states.
But Bernie Sanders won four states. That certainly gives him energy and ability to stay in this race. And that of course he will.
But it was clear last night during the victory party rally here in Miami, who Hillary Clinton was actually focused on. She spent very little time on Bernie Sanders and instead talked about the rhetoric and the tone from the other side of the race. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: It's clear tonight that the stakes in this election have never been higher. And the rhetoric we are hearing on the other side has never been lower.
(BOOS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: And those boos are what Democrats hope will energize their voters here. One really important thing we've seen across the last month and a half of voting since Iowa, Republicans are coming out in droves compared to Democrats. There are Democrats who are worried about the lack of energy on their side. So the Clinton campaign clearly trying to tap into some of the energy of Donald Trump and saying hey, Democrats you need to pay attention here and come out and vote.
But Carol interestingly just a few moments ago, Bernie Sanders top advisors up in Burlington, Vermont, holding a press conference with reporters and they say Bernie Sanders is staying in this race. This is a long path to the convention here. They said integrity is a central factor the Democrats should be looking at. That Bernie Sanders can go up against Donald Trump much better here.
So the Sanders campaign not laying down at all here. The next week is critical. The Michigan primary, next Tuesday. And two debates happen in the next week. One on Sunday on CNN and the next on Wednesday. That could be Bernie Sanders last shot to revive himself in this long Democratic race, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Jeff Zeleny, reporting live for us this morning -- thank you.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM: Republicans might be battling out over their front runner but many GOP voters agree on one thing, they are angry. We'll break down the exit poll, next.
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