US Presidential Race Could Be Clearer This Week


    29 February, 2016

    It could become clear this week who the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees will be.

    Twelve states will hold primary elections or caucuses Tuesday, called "Super Tuesday." In most of those states, public opinion studies show Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have much more support than other candidates.

    Last week, Trump said people "are so tired of these politicians -- all talk, no action. We are going to make America great again. We are going to win, win, win."

    Republican candidates said they will try to stop or at least slow Trump's campaign.

    From left, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Madison, Ala. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 28, 2016.
    From left, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Madison, Ala. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 28, 2016.

    Senator Marco Rubio said "Trump will never be the Republican nominee. We are not going to let the conservative movement, and the party of Ronald Reagan and the party of Abraham Lincoln be taken over by a first-rate con artist."

    Trump answered that Rubio has not won any caucuses or primary elections. He said Rubio is hated in his home state of Florida.

    Clinton has also criticized Trump. After she defeated Senator Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary Saturday by almost 50 points, she said, "we do not need to make America great again. America has never stopped being great. But we do need to make America whole again. Instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down barriers."

    Senator Sanders says his campaign against Hillary Clinton is not over. He said "the middle class of this country has been shrinking and almost all new income and wealth has been going to the top one percent."

    I'm Mario Ritter.

    VOA Washington Correspondent Michael Bowman reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

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    Words in This Story

    movement – n. a series of organized activities in which many people work together to do or achieve something

    con artist – n. a person who tricks other people in order to get their money

    primary – n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election

    caucus – n. a meeting of members of a political party for the purpose of choosing candidates for an election