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        Candidates Prepare for Tuesday as 5 States Set to Hold Primaries

   by VOA News

   U.S. presidential candidates are looking ahead to Tuesday when five
   delegate-rich states hold their primary elections, with the rest of the
   field blaming Republican front-runner Donald Trump for the violence
   that has erupted at his rallies.

   The primaries in Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina
   are particularly important for Trump's opponents who want to prevent
   him from grabbing a potentially insurmountable lead.

   But Trump denied that his campaign has provoked violence, telling a
   crowd in Bloomington, Illinois Sunday that he wants peace and not
   trouble.

   There have been fights and pushing and shoving between his supporters
   and protesters opposing his candidacy at rallies in several of
   Tuesday's primary states, and authorities have arrested a small number
   of protesters at those sites.

   ''

   ''Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the leader in the
   Democratic race, said Sunday night that Trump is "trafficking in hate
   and fear."  She said criticism of Trump does not matter if people do
   not show up on election day to vote against him.

   Clinton's opponent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said he hopes Trump
   tones down his campaign and tells supporters that violence is not
   acceptable.

   Trump in recent days blamed Sanders for the increasingly frequent
   disruptions at events and threatened to retaliate by sending his
   supporters to Sanders' rallies.

   Sanders responded: "Send them. They deserve to see what a real honest
   politician sounds like.''

   Texas Senator Ted Cruz is in second place in terms of delegates
   Republicans need to clinch the party's nomination and on Sunday added
   fresh criticism of Trump.

   "When you have a campaign that disrespects the voters, when you have a
   campaign that affirmatively encourages violence, you create an
   environment that only encourages this sort of nastiness," Cruz said on
   NBC's Meet The Press.

   Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich are far
   behind in terms of delegates and used words like "dangerous" and
   "toxic" to describe Trump's campaign.

   Both Rubio and Kasich are banking on a first place finish in the
   winner-take-all primaries in their home states Tuesday.  Polls indicate
   Trump holds a big lead in Florida, but is locked in a tight race with
   Kasich in Ohio.

   The primary elections and caucuses are apportioning delegates to the
   Republican and Democratic national conventions in July when the
   presidential nominees will be formally selected.

   Clinton and Sanders will continue to collect pledged convention
   delegates roughly based on their vote totals in each state, not
   winner-take-all.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/candidates-prepare-tuesday-5-states-h
   old-primaries/3234678.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/candidates-prepare-tuesday-5-states-hold-primaries/3234678.html