Steamrolling to a string of Super Tuesday victories, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has vowed to beat Hillary Clinton in November's election.
With results trickling in from the day's nationwide vote, he is projected to win at least seven victories as he vies to lock down his party's White House nomination.
Twelve US states held primaries and caucuses on Tuesday and Mr Trump is expected to win Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas and Vermont.
Arch-conservative Texas Senator Ted Cruz breathed a sigh of relief after a crucial win in his home state of Texas and in Oklahoma.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the Republican party favourite, was the projected winner of his first contest, the Minnesota caucuses.
At a victory rally in Palm Beach, Florida, Mr Trump congratulated Mr Cruz, but scorned "lightweight" Mr Rubio.
The tycoon told supporters: "Once we get all of this finished, I'm going to go after one person and that's Hillary Clinton."
He added: "We have politicians who truly, truly, truly don't know what they're doing."
In the Democratic race, frontrunner Hillary Clinton is projected to win seven states, while her rival, Bernie Sanders, is expected to take four.
Trailing in the race for the Republican nomination are Ohio Governor John Kasichand retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Candidates are vying to win delegates who will vote for them at the parties' conventions in July.
In the Republican race, 595 delegates up for grabs on Tuesday, including 155 in Texas.
This is nearly half of the 1,237 delegates needed for a candidate to win the nomination.
Before Super Tuesday, Mr Trump had 82 delegates, Mr Cruz was on 17 and Mr Rubio 16.
Republican party leaders fear the frontrunner will damage their prospects of recapturing the White House after President Barack Obama's two terms.
Mr Trump has repeatedly courted controversy in the campaign with inflammatory outbursts.
But on Tuesday he sought to defuse claims he is too divisive, insisting he was a "unifier" who would grow the party.
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