Keller @ Large: New York Loves The Frontrunners
BOSTON (CBS) - There never was much doubt that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would win New York, their home state. The question was could they do it by wide enough margins to - in Trump's case - secure precious delegates, and for Clinton, to dispel doubts about her campaign.
On both fronts, call it mission accomplished. New York is the first state to give Trump a majority of its votes, and even more importantly, a rich delegate haul.
"We don't have much of a race anymore," Trump said in his victory speech, which isn't quite true. Pennsylvania next Tuesday could be an interesting three-way battle with Ted Cruz and John Kasich, and Cruz has what his campaign believes is a firewall waiting in Indiana on May 3.
Still, after a bad stretch, Trump cut back on his gaffe-making and sharpened his anti-establishment message to secure the blowout win he needed.
Clinton also needed a decisive win and she got it, despite being outspent on TV by a wide margin.
"To all the people who supported Senator Sanders, I believe there is much more that unites us than divides us," she said at her primary night party.
But Sanders has the means and the motivation to keep pressing Clinton, as he made clear during remarks in Pennsylvania Tuesday night: "Let Pennsylvania go forward and tell the world you are going to lead this country into a political revolution."
But in a party primary for Democrats only, Clinton's party made its choice clear. At least, until next week.