Final Push Before Primaries In Florida, Four Other States
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The last minute push begins Monday for the presidential candidates ahead of Tuesday's primaries in Florida and four other states.
Over the weekend, violence at Donald Trump's rallies had candidates on both sides targeting the GOP frontrunner.
Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton fielded questions on a range of issues from Ohio voters during at a Town Hall Sunday night. but violence at recent Donald Trump rallies took center stage and both candidates gave their opinions.
"He has lit the fire and then throws his hands up and claims he shouldn't be held responsible," said Clinton.
"I would hope that Mr. Trump tones it down big time, and tells his supporters that violence is not acceptable," Sanders told the crowd.
At a peaceful rally in Boca Raton on Sunday, Trump commented on the weekend events.
"All over the world, they're talking about what took place and they're talking about us and how well we handled it," Trump told a crowd od supporters.
Trump still leads his Republican rivals here in Florida - where the contest is winner-take-all for the GOP. A news CBS News poll of like Republican primary voters shows Trump with 44-percent followed by Senator Ted Cruz with 24-percent and Senator Marco Rubio, running a close third, with 21-percent. The polls margin of error, however, is four point eight percent.
Over the weekend, early voting wrapped up in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
In Miami-Dade, 83,561 took advantage of the two week early voting period. Another 114,532 voted by absentee ballot.
In Broward, 82,422 voted during the nine day early voting period and 74,873 absentee ballots were returned.
Statewide, 869,453 people took advantage of early voting and 1,159,166 absentee ballots have been returned.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Florida's Presidential Preference Primary Election. Unlike during the early voting period, those going to the polls on Tuesday will have to do so a their designated precinct voting station.
Click on the links below for voting information for each county:
Miami-Dade - Broward - Monroe
Three hundred and fifty eight Republican delegates will be up for grabs in Tuesday's primaries in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri, and Illinois; 691 Democratic delegates are on the line.
A good showing in his home state of Florida would go a ways in helping Rubio keeping his struggling campaign afloat. Ohio is a must win for Governor John Kasich who will get some help from Mitt Romney on the campaign trail on Monday.