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| Michigan and Mississippi primaries: test for Trump as Clinton leads – live | Michigan and Mississippi primaries: test for Trump as Clinton leads – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.43am GMT | |
| 00:43 | |
| Visit our comprehensive results page | |
| Our mapped county-by-county results tracker is the place to follow tonight’s returns – check it out here. | |
| 12.38am GMT | |
| 00:38 | |
| The exit poll temptation | |
| In the 20 minutes before polls close in Mississippi... | |
| Would you be interested in knowing that 42% of Mississippi voters who made up their minds in the “last few days” decided to vote for Ted Cruz? Or that the Michigan Democratic electorate tonight appears to have been about 69% white and 22% black? Or that 61% of Mississippi Democratic voters today and tonight were African American, or that... well you get the point. | |
| Jump into MSNBC political correspondent Steve Kornacki’s Twitter timeline for a wealth of exit polling results and theorize away. (The web site of ABC News is also a good source for exit poll results.) | |
| Trump, who does not use pollsters, has apparently conducted an exit poll of one – and he likes what he’s seeing: | |
| Word is I am doing very well in Michigan and Mississippi! Wow, and with all that money spent against me! Will be going to Trump Jupiter now! | |
| Just come up for air every five minutes to repeat to yourself, “exit polls are not predictive. Exit polls are not predictive. Exit polls are not predictive.” | |
| But look at Kasich among late deciders in Michigan: | |
| EXIT POLLS: Marco Rubio not doing well with late deciders in Michigan. John Kasich fares the best: pic.twitter.com/57GAV2VLfH | |
| 12.28am GMT | |
| 00:28 | |
| Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference in Jupiter, Florida, at 9pm ET. | |
| That’s in 90 minutes. | |
| And that appears to be raw steak, just sitting out. Unrefrigerated. | |
| It looks like Trump really will throw his base red meat tonight. | |
| But seriously what could this tableau mean? How will Trump work it into his speech? What point could he hope to make? Will he use the props to evoke the unsinkable quality of the Trump brand? | |
| Will he serve it to the press? | |
| Why is the news conference scheduled to land at 9pm ET, precisely when Michigan polls close? | |
| Display of @realDonaldTrump wines, steaks & spring water for tonight's press conference in Jupiter. pic.twitter.com/4UE8M8aR93 | |
| (h/t: @bencjacobs) | |
| 12.24am GMT | |
| 00:24 | |
| Are you a Sanders-Trump crossover voter? | |
| Amber Jamieson | |
| Digging through the comments in a recent callout we did to secret Donald Trump supporters, we noticed a very striking trend: a big chunk of people who contacted us were Bernie Sanders fans who said that if he failed to win the Democratic nomination they intended to switch their vote not to Hillary Clinton, but to Donald Trump. | |
| Is that you? Are you that? We’re fascinated and need you to tell us more: | |
| Related: Are you feeling the Bern – for Donald Trump? | |
| 12.15am GMT | |
| 00:15 | |
| Protesters at Mississippi statehouse decry flag | |
| Matthew Teague | |
| On the steps of the Mississippi statehouse on Tuesday, a collection of lawyers and pastors led a protest against the state flag - the last in the nation to feature the Confederate battle flag, writes Guardian US southern correspondent Matthew Teague from Jackson: | |
| The protestors appealed to the one authority who may carry more weight in Mississippi than heritage does. | |
| “The God of Jacob,” said Carlos Moore, an attorney who has filed a federal suit against the state and its governor, Phil Bryant. “If God is with us, who can be against us?” | |
| Mississippi’s flag includes the Confederate emblem in its upper left quadrant. Tension around the flag has increased in recent years as similar flags in other southern states have come down. The latest was in South Carolina, and a lawyer from that state, Justin Bamberg, has joined Moore in his suit against Mississippi. | |
| Holding a microphone on the Capitol steps, Bamberg addressed the state’s leaders directly. | |
| “Mr. Governor, if you are listening, I urge you to exhibit true leadership,” he said. “Do the right thing.” | |
| Bryant has denounced the suit as an effort to override the people’s will - in 2001, Mississippi residents voted to keep the flag’s current design. | |
| In the meantime the state’s attorney general, Jim Hood, has said that he personally feels the flag should be changed, but considers it his duty to defend the state against Moore’s suit. | |
| On Tuesday the church atmosphere peaked when Jamal Bryant, pastor of Baltimore’s Empowerment Temple, addressed the crowd. “I am here today because the Dukes of Hazzard were here yesterday,” he said, referencing a campaign stop by presidential contender Donald Trump. The crowd erupted, and many people raised their fists. | |
| “Trump is a living Confederate flag,” the pastor said. “America has got to zoom in on Mississippi, and woe to us if we think it’s just about a flag.” | |
| The protesters took up a chant: “Bring it down! Bring it down!” | |
| Moore took the microphone again: “And the church said?” | |
| “Amen!” the crowd responded. | |
| Moore is 39, and after the demonstration he told the Guardian that he’s suing Mississippi for personal reasons. “I’m doing it for my daughter,” he said. She’s 5. “I’m doing it for her generation.” | |
| Behind him, high on the statehouse steps, two members of the next generation of voters held a homemade sign. “This is not my flag,” it read. And “Pro-black does not mean anti-white.” | |
| The girls, Maisie Brown, 14, and Brianna Cry, 16, said they came to the protest looking for insight from older people. “We’just learned about this two days ago,” Brown said. “I just learned about the meaning behind the flag.” | |
| At the edges of the protest one woman stood openly weeping, holding a photo of her son. “He disappeared into the Mississippi system,” Pamela Bennett said. Her son, 27-year-old Deonte, was serving a three-year conviction for marijuana possession, and returned to prison in November for parole violation. Two months later, on 5 January, he died in his cell. She said she was never allowed to see or speak with him while he was in custody, and has not yet received an explanation for how he died. | |
| “I’m here because the flag represents the mindset that you can just disappear into the system,” she said. “That’s what the flag means to me.” | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.17am GMT | |
| 12.08am GMT | 12.08am GMT |
| 00:08 | 00:08 |
| Dan Roberts | Dan Roberts |
| Guardian Washington bureau chief Dan Roberts is not in a state that votes tonight, but he is in Florida, which could swing the election a week from tonight. | |
| Dan’s there because, in a sign of what’s at stake on 15 March, all of the candidates are there or heading there. Donald Trump is an hour north of Miami, in Palm Beach, where he has scheduled a press conference at 9pm at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter. Hillary Clinton is flying in from Ohio tomorrow morning for the Democratic debate in Miami, and Marco Rubio has been in Tampa today. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, will host a rally in Miami tomorrow at 10am, and John Kasich will arrive in time for Thursday’s Republican debate. | |
| On the 15th the state will award 99 Republican delegates in a winner-take-all contest, and 246 Democratic delegates awarded proportionately. | |
| Dan has found a bumper crop of Sanders supporters: | |
| Not a bad turnout at all for Bernie in Miami tonight. No TV screens though so I don't imagine any results watching. pic.twitter.com/XPrJGGtwlY | Not a bad turnout at all for Bernie in Miami tonight. No TV screens though so I don't imagine any results watching. pic.twitter.com/XPrJGGtwlY |
| Updated | |
| at 12.21am GMT | |
| 12.06am GMT | 12.06am GMT |
| 00:06 | 00:06 |
| Mississippi voter profile | Mississippi voter profile |
| Matthew Teague | Matthew Teague |
| Name: Dale Williams | Name: Dale Williams |
| Age: 53 | Age: 53 |
| Occupation: Plasma cutting-machine operator | Occupation: Plasma cutting-machine operator |
| Voting for: Donald Trump | Voting for: Donald Trump |
| In Lucedale, Mississippi, Dale Williams only made up his mind as he entered the George County courthouse. | In Lucedale, Mississippi, Dale Williams only made up his mind as he entered the George County courthouse. |
| “Trump,” he said. He shrugged his shoulders inside his denim overalls. “If he wins, great, if he doesn’t, that’s all right too.” | “Trump,” he said. He shrugged his shoulders inside his denim overalls. “If he wins, great, if he doesn’t, that’s all right too.” |
| Mainly, he said, he feels nostalgic for an America as he remembers it from his childhood. | Mainly, he said, he feels nostalgic for an America as he remembers it from his childhood. |
| “It was different when I was growing up, and I want a president who can take us back to there,” he said. “We we ever make it back? Probably not. But we can do better than we are now.” | “It was different when I was growing up, and I want a president who can take us back to there,” he said. “We we ever make it back? Probably not. But we can do better than we are now.” |
| His guiding principles were two, he said: “Biblical values, and the Constitution. I believe that’s what the founding fathers had in mind when they set things in motion.” | His guiding principles were two, he said: “Biblical values, and the Constitution. I believe that’s what the founding fathers had in mind when they set things in motion.” |
| 11.56pm GMT | 11.56pm GMT |
| 23:56 | 23:56 |
| National poll depicts tightening GOP race | National poll depicts tightening GOP race |
| Mona Chalabi | Mona Chalabi |
| A poll released this afternoon from WSJ and NBC has found that the contest between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz to be Republican presidential nominee appears closer than previously thought, writes Guardian US data editor Mona Chalabi: | A poll released this afternoon from WSJ and NBC has found that the contest between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz to be Republican presidential nominee appears closer than previously thought, writes Guardian US data editor Mona Chalabi: |
| The national poll, which was conducted with just 397 respondents between March 3 and 6, found that Trump has the support of 30% of Republican primary voters - 3 percentage points ahead of Ted Cruz and 8 percentage points ahead of Kasich (who, after months of polling in single digits, appears to have grown in popularity in the past week). | The national poll, which was conducted with just 397 respondents between March 3 and 6, found that Trump has the support of 30% of Republican primary voters - 3 percentage points ahead of Ted Cruz and 8 percentage points ahead of Kasich (who, after months of polling in single digits, appears to have grown in popularity in the past week). |
| Marco Rubio was in fourth place with just 20% of respondents selecting him as their first choice for Republican nominee. | Marco Rubio was in fourth place with just 20% of respondents selecting him as their first choice for Republican nominee. |
| Partly because of the low number of respondents, the margin of error on this poll is considerable - plus or minus 4.9 percentage points which could change the results significantly. | Partly because of the low number of respondents, the margin of error on this poll is considerable - plus or minus 4.9 percentage points which could change the results significantly. |
| Compared to other national polls, collected and averaged by the site Real Clear Politics, Trump’s lead seems small - five polls collected between February 19 and March 6 (including the latest from WSJ/NBC) find an average Trump lead of 15.2 percentage points. | Compared to other national polls, collected and averaged by the site Real Clear Politics, Trump’s lead seems small - five polls collected between February 19 and March 6 (including the latest from WSJ/NBC) find an average Trump lead of 15.2 percentage points. |
| 11.50pm GMT | 11.50pm GMT |
| 23:50 | 23:50 |
| Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the big Michigan primary races and other voting across the country tonight. We expect to have results in some form for you in under two hours. Michigan polls close at 9pm ET. | Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the big Michigan primary races and other voting across the country tonight. We expect to have results in some form for you in under two hours. Michigan polls close at 9pm ET. |
| Michigan’s important because it’s big, it’s symbolic of American manufacturing, is a potential regional bellwether (Ohio votes in one week) with an interesting demographic mix and because it would be a big deal for a Republican to show real strength here (the state is considered likely to land Democratic in the general election). | Michigan’s important because it’s big, it’s symbolic of American manufacturing, is a potential regional bellwether (Ohio votes in one week) with an interesting demographic mix and because it would be a big deal for a Republican to show real strength here (the state is considered likely to land Democratic in the general election). |
| Mississippi is also hosting a primary tonight (8pm ET poll closure), and Idaho (11pm ET) and Hawaii (1am ET) are hosting Republican caucuses. We’ll bring you dispatches from the ground and immediate results all night, as finely pared as you care, on our master results page. | Mississippi is also hosting a primary tonight (8pm ET poll closure), and Idaho (11pm ET) and Hawaii (1am ET) are hosting Republican caucuses. We’ll bring you dispatches from the ground and immediate results all night, as finely pared as you care, on our master results page. |
| Let’s play pundit: Donald Trump’s Michigan result tonight will indicate whether his candidacy is continuing to lose altitude following his loss on Saturday in Kansas, a state he once led by double digits. Trump is in a terrible news cycle (see below) and Ohio governor John Kasich and Texas senator Ted Cruz both appeared to be nipping at his heels in weekend survey results. | Let’s play pundit: Donald Trump’s Michigan result tonight will indicate whether his candidacy is continuing to lose altitude following his loss on Saturday in Kansas, a state he once led by double digits. Trump is in a terrible news cycle (see below) and Ohio governor John Kasich and Texas senator Ted Cruz both appeared to be nipping at his heels in weekend survey results. |
| Polling averages have Trump up 12 points in the state. Nationally he’s been pulling between 34% and 35% of the vote on average. Can Trump hit that mark in Michigan? If he doesn’t, there will be whispers … significant whispers. And should he lose – look out. | Polling averages have Trump up 12 points in the state. Nationally he’s been pulling between 34% and 35% of the vote on average. Can Trump hit that mark in Michigan? If he doesn’t, there will be whispers … significant whispers. And should he lose – look out. |
| On the Democratic side, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has taken his pitch for a reordered economy to voters with bittersweet memories of a once-thriving auto and manufacturing sector. Michigan’s demographics, with a mix of white and highly educated voters and an average African-American population, don’t look bad for Sanders – and yet former secretary of state Hillary Clinton leads polling averages by 20 points. | On the Democratic side, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has taken his pitch for a reordered economy to voters with bittersweet memories of a once-thriving auto and manufacturing sector. Michigan’s demographics, with a mix of white and highly educated voters and an average African-American population, don’t look bad for Sanders – and yet former secretary of state Hillary Clinton leads polling averages by 20 points. |
| A quick note on Trump’s bad Tuesday: the Better Business Bureau debunked his claims about the quality of Trump University, a report came out that a previously unacknowledged amount of Trump-branded merchandise is made overseas, and a report came out that Trump claimed a tax break reserved for households making less than $500,000 a year. | A quick note on Trump’s bad Tuesday: the Better Business Bureau debunked his claims about the quality of Trump University, a report came out that a previously unacknowledged amount of Trump-branded merchandise is made overseas, and a report came out that Trump claimed a tax break reserved for households making less than $500,000 a year. |