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0000017b-27e8-d2e5-a37b-7fffd9e00000Thanks for tuning in for special election coverage from NPR news and KSMU of the Mega Tuesday primaries, which included the state of Missouri.Election results can be found through the Missouri Secretary of State's office website.Below, read KSMU coverage of the March 15 primary, and following coverage from the NPR elections team here.

Big Nights for Clinton, Trump; Including Long Wait for Declared Missouri Victories

Claire Kidwell
/
KSMU

Narrow victories for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in Missouri weren’t determined until the early morning hours of Wednesday, long after Republican and Democratic winners had been declared in the other four states holding primaries Tuesday.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office show Clinton, a Democrat, receiving 49.61 percent of the vote to Bernie Sanders’ 49.37 percent.

On the Republican side, the tally was Donald Trump 40.83 percent and Ted Cruz 40.65 percent.

State law allows a losing candidate to request a recount when he or she loses the race by less than one-half of one percent of the total vote, meaning both Sanders and Cruz could request one.

In Greene County, voters were much more decisive Tuesday, with Cruz and Sanders scoring nearly 20 and 23 percent leads, respectively. Unofficial final results from the Greene County Clerk’s office website show just over 44 percent of registered voters cast a ballot Tuesday.

Republican Watch Party

Roughly 60 people attended the Greene County Republican watch party Tuesday at Classic Rock Coffee in Springfield. The spectators ranged from high school-aged to senior citizens.

“Tonight I was just really excited at our turnout…what was so exciting for me was to see so many young people here,” said Joey Powell, a member of TARGET (The Association of Republicans Getting Everyone Together), the social fundraising wing of the Greene County Republican Party.

As the votes came in for Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, anticipation mounted for which candidate would take Missouri. However the watch party would end before a Show-Me state winner was chosen.

Before the coffee house emptied, onlookers cheered as candidates Marco Rubio and John Kasich gave speeches. However, some were dismayed when Rubio, the Florida senator who was defeated in his own state earlier in the evening by Donald Trump, announced he was suspending his campaign.

Terri McQueary is board chair for TARGET. She believes this isn’t the last time we’ll see Rubio play a central role in politics.

“He worked hard, he fought hard, and I think he resigned with grace, and I think we’ll still see him in the future.”

As the night went on, votes for Cruz and Trump remained close. There was a lot of support for Cruz at this watch party, with raucous applause during his speech, though strong Trump advocates were also present.

One of those Trump supporters was Daniel Seitz. He said that Florida and Illinois were very telling for Trump’s ultimate success.

Seitz continued, “I think that what they see in Donald Trump is that they see someone who is not from the political establishment. They see someone who is instead a business man…who understands the encroachment of the government on private businesses.”

College students were very present as well during the watch party, including those from Evangel, Ozarks Technical Community College, and Missouri State University. According to one pollster at the party, there was nearly double the norm of voter turnout for this primary, and most were first-time voters.

Sarah Buxton, a student at OTC, said “I think it’s so important for our college students to be engaged and educated in their vote.”

Democratic Watch Party

While the Republican watch party brought together supporters of all candidates, parties for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were held in separate locations in Springfield Tuesday.  

Among a smaller group at the Clinton watch party sat Missouri State University freshman James Moore, who has been working for Clinton’s campaign since August.  

The 18-year-old grew up in Highlandville, a small town with about 900, and said it means a lot to him that Clinton incentivizes companies to invest in rural America.

“Rural America usually has the poorest people and the worst economies,” Moore said. “….There’s very few, if anything, that’s going on down there (Highlandville) industrial, or even jobs at all.”

As the only student who graduated in his class to go to college, Moore is more concerned about his fellow classmates who don’t have the same education opportunities because of poverty.

“I want to know that the next president of the United States is going to fight for them, and fight for them to have a future that they deserve,” said Moore.

Moore is considering traveling to other states to help encourage voters.

Jim Evans, a former Democratic congressional candidate from southwest Missouri, recalls coming across the Sanders platform when he was preparing a run for Congress.

“I thought ‘hey! This is me!’,” Evans said. “This is what I want to do in my platform when I run for U.S. congress.”

Evans, who attending a watch party at a Sanders’ campaign office downtown, supports the Vermont Senator’s “comprehensive economic package”.

“Economic development is not a single issue,” Evans explains. “….In order to turn the economy around, and make it work for the middle class, you have to address a lot of issues.”

Sanders’ campaign had been given a jolt after a surprise win in Michigan last week. But After losses in five states Tuesday, the delegate math for Sanders grows more difficult.