Donald Trump Wins Tennessee Republican Primary

Marco Rubio's endorsements from Tennessee's governor and one of its senators didn't mean much to voters.
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Donald Trump easily won the Tennessee GOP primary on Tuesday, despite the public opposition of high-profile elected Republicans in the state.

The business mogul-turned-politician had no problem fending off Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Ted Cruz (Texas), according to early voting returns. Tennessee awards its 58 delegates proportionally, so it's too early to say how many each candidate will pick up.

Tennessee was one of 13 states and a U.S. territory holding primaries or caucuses on what's known as Super Tuesday, a day that offers up more delegates than any other during the campaign. As in most other states, Trump was dominating the GOP field in recent polls of likely Republican voters in Tennessee.

Establishment Republicans have stepped forth around the country to condemn Trump and endorse Rubio in recent days, and Tennessee was no different. Both Gov. Bill Haslam and Sen. Lamar Alexander declared their backing for the Florida senator in the past week. Alexander did so after previously saying he wouldn't endorse anyone.

Both Republicans had argued that Trump could not beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in a general election. That plea appears to have fallen on deaf ears in Tennessee, as it has throughout the country so far.

Trump held one of his massive rallies in the Tennessee town of Millington on Saturday, drawing an estimated 10,000 people, many of whom had driven hours to take part. At the event, Trump taunted Rubio as "little Marco" and a "choke artist." He was introduced by former Republican candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who'd shocked the political establishment by endorsing Trump the previous day.

"We're going to win in Tennessee," Trump predicted. "We're going to win everything."

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