Super Tuesday takeaways: Trump, Clinton tighten grip

WASHINGTON (AP) — After the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses in a dozen states, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had tightened their grasp on their party's presidential nominations.

GOP governors and sitting senators across the nation feared aloud that Trump was close to an insurmountable delegate lead, with little sign that Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz was emerging as the clear Trump alternative.

The strong performance adds to his delegate lead, and the unfortunate reality for GOP leaders is that his grasp on the party's presidential nomination is growing stronger by the day.

The establishment's last opportunity to stop the former reality television star is likely a series of winner-take-all states on March 15.

[...] given Trump's dominance so far, there's little reason to believe he will struggle, especially as his Republican rivals continue to divide the rest of the electorate.

When added to her massive lead among the party's superdelegates, Clinton is now in as strong a position to win the Democratic nomination as she's ever been.

With large states like Florida, Illinois and Ohio looming on the calendar, she is poised to parlay victories that could elevate her to presumptive nominee status.

With Rubio's sights set on Florida's March 15 election, the wins all but ensure that both candidates will continue to fight for the anti-Trump mantle for the foreseeable future.