JUPITER, Fla. — Donald Trump advanced his lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, winning Mississippi and Michigan, the biggest states up for grabs Tuesday in the increasingly bitter GOP primary contest. Later in the evening, he also scored a victory in the Hawaii caucuses. Meanwhile, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, vying to make it a one-on-one race with Trump, won Idaho.



Unlike last week’s Super Tuesday contests, just 150 delegates were up for grabs Tuesday — and all were awarded proportionally, suggesting that the results would not dramatically alter the current standing of the GOP race, where Trump enjoys a healthy lead over Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio.

But for Trump, Tuesday’s wins were a significant psychological victory for his insurgent campaign, affirming that he retains his momentum even after days of withering attacks from rivals and members of a Republican establishment newly determined to derail his bid for the party’s nomination.

“I don’t think I have ever had so many horrible things said about me in one week,” Trump said at an election night press conference here.

Referring to an onslaught of negative ads from his rivals and super-PACs, he added, “$38 million of horrible lies. … It shows you how brilliant the public is, because they knew they were lies.”

Donald Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., on Tuesday. (Photo: Joe Skipper/Reuters)



In Mississippi, Trump was projected to win by double digits, in spite of a last-minute endorsement of Cruz by Phil Bryant, the state’s governor. Exit polls showed that Trump won thanks to not only the support of early voters, but also thanks to Republicans who waited until the last minute to select their candidate.

And in Michigan, Trump easily triumphed in a win fueled by working-class voters angry at the federal government and politicians in Washington. According to exit polls, more than half of Michigan Republicans said they wanted the next president to be “someone outside the political establishment.”

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