Trump inches closer to GOP nomination with Washington win

US presidential candidate Donald Trump is projected to win the Washington state primary as he continues to march closer to the Republican nomination.

The billionaire businessman will almost certainly win all 44 of the state’s delegates, according to media reports.

Trump entered Tuesday’s contest with 1,169 delegates, just 68 shy of the 1,237 he needs to secure the GOP nomination before the July convention, the Associated Press reported.

With 68 percent of the vote in, Trump had 76 percent support, with the rest divided between former rivals who have suspended their campaigns.

The real estate mogul stands a good chance to surpass the magic number with primary contests in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota on June 7.

Trump has already pivoted to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who was also projected to win the Washington primary.

The reality TV star became the presumptive nominee for US president since his last-standing rivals, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, dropped out of the race following Trump’s decisive win in Indiana.

Washington has one of the nation’s most confusing election procedures, holding both primaries and caucuses.

Republicans decided to allocate their delegates through the primary, which is why Tuesday’s vote mattered for Trump.

However, the contest was meaningless on the Democratic side as the delegates had already been allocated in the March 26 caucuses, where Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed the state.

Source: Presstv.com