Donald Trump swept to victory in the South Carolina Republican primary on Saturday, putting him in a commanding position as the race shifts to a slew of delegate-rich contests.
Jeb Bush, though, abruptly suspended his campaign after a distant finish, leaving unclear to whom his supporters will gravitate.
But Trump, at his victory rally, seemed to dismiss the notion that other candidates would benefit from Bush’s exit.
“[The pundits] don’t understand that as people drop out, I’m going to get a lot of those votes,” Trump said.
He said the primary race lately has been “mean” and “vicious” but: “When you win, it’s beautiful.”
He closed by saying, “Let’s put this thing away, and let’s make America great again.”
Trump’s victory is not by the big double-digit margin that pre-election polls had suggested. Still, this makes back-to-back victories for Trump, who more than doubled the vote of his closest competitor in New Hampshire last week.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio remain locked in a battle for second place.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Rubio is narrowly leading Cruz with just over 22 percent. Trump leads with 33 percent.
Both candidates were staying confident.
“After tonight, this has become a three-person race, and we will win the nomination,” Rubio told supporters.
Rubio placed third in Iowa, but stumbled in New Hampshire following a rough debate performance. He vowed to bounce back, and entered the South Carolina contest enjoying support from the state’s popular governor, Nikki Haley, and other state leaders.
Senior Cruz aides maintained the Texas senator remains “well-positioned” going into looming Southern state primaries, since he won Iowa and placed third in New Hampshire.