US election primaries as it happened: Trump lands three wins, while Sanders upsets Clinton

That's a wrap to our live coverage of the 8 March primaries and caucus. Thanks for joining us and be sure to come back for the latest updates on the 2016 US election!

Donald Trump nabs his final victory of the night in Hawaii! That's three wins for the GOP frontrunner and one win for leading rival Ted Cruz.

Why did Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders do so well in Michigan? Anger and worry. That's what exit polls found. Both candidates' victories were fueled by discontent with the Washington establishment and fear about the economy, reports AP. Whether Democrat or Republican, the candidates' supporters believe the next president should be a political outsider.

How does Hillary Clinton keep the focus off rival Bernie Sanders and his surprise victory in Michigan? By attacking "bluster and bigotry" in her victory speech after winning the Mississippi primary. Clearly, she wasn't talking about a fellow Democrat, but Trump, the man she expects to meet in the general election.

She made the speech in Detroit, Michigan, the state responsible for Sander's upset, which no doubt helped remind Clinton not to get ahead of herself.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz not only won the Idaho primary — but bragging rights as the only one to beat Donald Trump in the latest showdown, bolstering his argument that he's still got the best chance against the GOP front-runner.

Idaho results were pretty much a black hole ahead of the actual tally because of a lack of polling in the state. Cruz got a big boost from an endorsement by Idaho Republican Congressman Raúl Labrador, an influential member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

GOP frontrunner Donald Trump might have spoken a tad too soon. Trump grabbed big wins in Mississippi and Michigan, but Texas Senator Ted Cruz claimed an upset in Idaho after Trump had this to say:

"He is always saying, 'I am the only one that can beat Donald Trump,'" Trump crowed. "I've heard it so many times, but he never beats me. Take a look. He never beats me."

Ted Cruz wins Idaho primary.

No one is happier about Sanders' win in Michigan than the Vermont senator himself. In a new email to supporters, Sanders called the latest win a "major, game-changing victory". He continued:

Sisters and Brothers -

The results are in and we were just declared the winner in a very important state for our campaign: Michigan. That's a major, game-changing victory for our campaign.

The corporate media counted us out. The pollsters said we were way behind. The Clinton super PACs spent millions against us across the country. We were hit with a dishonest attack in the debate. But we won, again... and if we continue to stand together, we can win this nomination.

One week from today, five large and delegate-rich states vote. Time and time again, your support has enabled us to overcome large deficits and emerge victorious. But you can expect the political establishment to come after us even harder now. The super PACs are going to spend even more. We have to be prepared to fight back.

Make a $3 contribution to our campaign right now, and we're going to keep winning states so that we can win this Democratic primary.

Millions of people have come out to vote for our political revolution. They have donated more than 5 million times to our campaign. And together, we are sending a message to the oligarchy that we are not to be underestimated.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

With over 90% reporting in both Michigan and Mississippi, Democrats Clinton and Sanders each nab one victory tonight. Clinton currently leads with 12 state wins and 1,215 delegates. Sanders has 9 state wins and 566 delegates.

The Michigan primary is finally called...for Bernie Sanders. It was a tight race, but the Vermont senator was ultimately named the victor.

The Democratic race in Michigan may be too close to call, but that's not stopping Sanders—who's currently in the lead—from celebrating. The Vermont senator sent this message to supporters:

Sisters and Brothers - Something amazing is happening in the state of Michigan. With more than 70% of the vote in, the race is too close to call – but we're in the lead. And no matter what happens, this is a great night for our political revolution.

Very few people in the establishment thought this was possible. One poll last week had us losing the state by 25 points. But now it looks like we could win.

Every time the establishment underestimates us. And every time, we come back and show them they're wrong. Let's keep doing it.

Contribute $3 to our campaign now and show the establishment that we can win the Democratic nomination and the White House.

I'm proud to have you with me.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

Polls have officially closed in the Idaho Republican primary, where there are 38 delegates at stake. Democrats won't hold their primary in the Gem State until 22 March.

Tonight's biggest loser, Marco Rubio, is clearly not losing hope. Following loses in Michigan and Mississippi, Rubio is looking ahead to his home state of Florida.

Despite the night being long from over for Republicans, Kasich is already considering it a win. The Ohio governor came in second in Michigan and managed to nab some much needed delegates. He's also running third in Mississippi, although he won't likely see delegates there.

Don't let anybody tell you we 'can't make it in America anymore.' We can, we are and we will.

-Hillary Clinton

Wondering just what's going on in Michigan? The good folks at FiveThirtyEight are too. Sanders is currently leading, despite some believing that his opposition to the auto bail out and large black population in Detroit would hurt him.

FiveThirtyEight's Harry Enten writes:

I'm looking on the Wayne County clerk's website to try to get an idea of where the vote is being reported from in Wayne County. It seems, at least as of earlier this hour, that Detroit was at 0 percent. The nearly uniformly white areas of Grosse Pointe Shores and Plymouth were at 100 percent. In other words, the percentages coming out of Wayne County right now don't really reflect how black areas are voting.

h/t The Guardian

I really want to close things out. I have not even focused on Hillary yet. Hillary's going to be very easy to beat. She's a flawed candidate, she's a very flawed candidate.

- Donald Trump following wins in Mississippi and Michigan

It looks like Trump is brining out the big guns in tonight's rally. Here he is talking about his (in)famous Trump Stakes.

Days after giving his endorsement, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recorded this robocall for Kasich in Hawaii.

Trump nabs his second win, claiming victory in Michigan.

Polls have closed in Michigan and it looks to be a solid win for Trump and a very likely win for Sanders. There are 59 delegates at stake for Republicans and 147 delegates up for grabs for Democrats.

Polls in Michigan are set to close in less than 10 minutes. Early results show Trump clearly in the lead among Republican candidates, but the race is very close among the remaining two Democratic candidates. With over 13% reporting, Sanders leads Clinton by just 2 percentage points.

Trump officially wins in Mississippi, with the AP calling the race at 8.41pm EST.

Trump, however, began celebrating his win before the race was officially called by the AP.

Clinton is already celebrating her huge win in Mississippi and is attempting to encourage supporters to donate as part of the celebration.

It's not looking good for Rubio in Mississippi, the Florida senator is currently polling below former GOP candidate Ben Carson.

Early polling results coming in from Michigan show Sanders ahead of Clinton by about 4 points, while Trump leads Kasich by just a point. We will continue to update our live results above.

And now some more exit polls:

While younger brother Neil has reportedly joined the Cruz campaign, former President George W Bush allegedly does not plan to endorse any Republican candidate...yet. "While I would never rule anything out, he definitely doesn't have any plans to make an endorsement," an aide to the former president said. "He and Mrs. Bush voted early in Texas for Jeb. Now, like a lot of voters, they are watching to see who can unite the party, represent conservative values and serve as president of all the people."

h/t POLITICO

Within seconds of polls closing in Mississippi, the Associated Press has called the race for Hillary Clinton.

Polls in Mississippi close in less than 5 minutes. There are 41 delegates at stake for Democrats and 40 delegates up for grabs for Republicans. Polls show Clinton and Trump leading in the southern state by large margins.

It's exit poll time. ABC News has several fun facts from Michigan and Mississippi. According to exit polls, 51% of voters in Michigan and 42% of voters in Mississippi believe Trump is not honest/trustworthy. However, 46% in Michigan and 53% in Mississippi do believe he is honest/trustworthy.

The polls also reveal that 48% of Michigan voters and 40% of Mississippi voters would not be satisfied if Trump were the GOP nominee. It should be noted that 50% of Michigan voters and 58% of Mississippi voters would be satisfied if he were chosen as the party's nominee.

h/t ABC News

Bernie Sanders has confirmed that his campaign has filed a lawsuit against Ohio's secretary of state to allow 17-year-olds to vote in the state's 15 March primary. Campaign manager Jeff Weaver argued on Tuesday that the state law use to allow 17-year-olds to vote in presidential primaries. Weaver then accused Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (a Republican) of "disenfranchising" voters.

"The secretary of state has decided to disenfranchise people who are 17 but will be 18 by the day of the general election. Those people have been allowed to vote under the law of Ohio, but the secretary of state of the state of Ohio has decided to disenfranchise those people to forbid them from voting in the primary that is coming up on March 15," Weaver told reporters in Detroit.

Husted, however, claims no changes have been made. He maintains that 17-year-olds who turn 18 by Election Day in November are allowed to vote in direct nominations but are banned from voting for delegates in the presidential primary.

"I welcome this lawsuit and I am very happy to be sued on this issue because the law is crystal clear," the secretary said in a statement. "We are following the same rules Ohio has operated under in past primaries, under both Democrat and Republican administrations. There is nothing new here. If you are going to be 18 by the November election, you can vote, just not on every issue."

Husted added: "That means 17-year-olds can vote in the primary, but only on the nomination of candidates to the general election ballot. They are not permitted to elect candidates, which is what voters are doing in a primary when they elect delegates to represent them at their political party's national convention, or vote on issues like school, police and fire levies."

h/t CNN

Tonight may be a good night for Kasich, exit polls suggest. The Ohio governor, who trails in fourth place in delegate count, has a chance to pull off a win in Michigan tonight. Kasich has pushed hard in his home state and has touted himself as the "only adult" remaining in the GOP field.

With several states at play, here is when polls will begin to close. Results should stream in shortly afterwards.

• Mississippi primary (Both): 8pm EST/1am GMT
• Michigan primary (Both): 9pm EST/2am GMT
• Idaho primary (Republican): 11pm EST/4am GMT
• Hawaii primary (Republican): 1am EST/6am GMT

Egyptian student Emadeldin Elsayed will reportedly be deported from the US after he said on Facebook he would be willing to serve jail time in order to get rid of Trump. The 23-year-old posted last month: "I literally don't mind taking a lifetime sentence in jail for killing this guy, I would actually be doing the whole world a favour," his attorney said.

His comments led him to be interviewed by Secret Service agents and his visa to be revoked. Elsayed is now being held in a jail in Orange County, California.

To learn more, read the full story here.

It appears that voting precincts around Michigan are running out of ballots due to higher voter turnout. Ballots are low in Flint and in other Genesee County precincts, forcing officials to use provisional ballots, Genesee County Clerk John J Gleason said.

"I've never seen anything like this," Gleason said of the higher than normal voter turnout.

h/t CNN

Since the last GOP debate, Trump has been severely criticised for Trump University, which he claimed had an A rating from the Better Business Bureau and a 98% approval rating among participants.

On 8 March, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) clarified that it received "multiple customer complaints" about the school and that while it operated, it did not have an A rating. The school had a D- rating—the second-lowest rating possible—in 2010 around the time it closed.

"As the company appeared to be winding down, after 2013, no new complaints were reported," the BBB said in a statement. Complaints older than three years were "automatically rolled off" the review, allowing its rating to rise. "As a result, over time, Trump University's BBB rating went to an A in July 2014, and then to an A+ in January 2015," it said.

The bureau added that Trump University, which now goes by the name Trump Entrepreneur Initiative, was never accredited by the BBB. Trump University is currently in the middle of a class-action lawsuit. Earlier this month, a New York appeals court denied Trump's request to toss the lawsuit.

h/t The Hill

Florida may not be one of the contested states tonight, but that isn't stopping Rubio from holding a rally in Sarasota. Recent polls show Rubio trailing Trump in his home state by double digits.

Kasich, meanwhile, is campaigning in his own home state of Ohio. The Ohio governor trails Trump by single digits in the Buckeye State.

Florida and Ohio hold their primaries on 15 March.

A third Bush brother—Neil Bush—has reportedly joined the Cruz campaign's finance team. The prominent Houston businessman joined the fundraising team along with his wife, Maria. Don Huffines, a Texas state senator who supported Rand Paul, and Dick Weekley, a Republican powerbroker in Texas politics , also joined as Cruz fundraisers.

h/t CNN

While Rubio is ahead of Kasich in delegates, this recent boost in polls could fair badly for the Florida senator.

A 8 March poll by Fox8 Detroit found Trump and Clinton leading in Michigan.

• GOP: Trump leads with 41%, followed by Kasich 23%, Cruz 18% and Rubio 8%.
• Democrats: Clinton, meanwhile, leads Sanders by 27 points, 61% to 34%

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has finally addressed criticisms about his recent practice of having rally participants pledge their allegiance to him. Many have compared the pledge as the "Heil" salute of Nazi Germany.

"I don't know about the Hitler comparison. I hadn't heard that, but it's a terrible comparison. I'm not happy about that certainly," Trump said in an interview on ABC's Good Morning America.

In an interview on The Today Show, the billionaire added, "That this would be brought up this morning, I'm very surprised to hear it ... If it's offensive, or if there's anything wrong with it, I wouldn't do it. But when I say, 'Raise your hand,' everybody raises their hand. They're screaming to me to do it: 'We want to do it.' And we're all having a lot of fun."

Welcome to our live coverage of tonight's many primaries and caucus. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are going head-to-head in Michigan and Mississippi, while the remaining four GOP candidates—Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich—will battle it out in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii.