The Republican party is more fractured than ever before after a dramatic day of primary elections across the US which led to more wins for front-runner Donald Trump and the end for one-time favourite Marco Rubio.
Trump's wins in Florida, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina brought him closer to the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination and left those in the party trying to stop him with a dilemma.
Republicans can now either throw their weight behind a candidate who rejects their policy goals or go on trying to stop him in the hope that he falls short of the majority required, enabling them to put forward another candidate at the July convention in Cleveland.
But that would risk alienating the millions of Americans who back the real estate developer.
Ohio Governor John Kasich's victory in his home state left him as the last establishment Republican candidate standing.
Rubio pulled out of the race on Tuesday after being crushed by Trump in Rubio's home state of Florida.
In announcing the end of his campaign, Rubio was disappointed but defiant.
"People are angry, people are frustrated," he said, adding it would have been easy to stir up those frustrations and make people more angry.
"I chose a different route and I'm proud of it."
Many Republican leaders are appalled at Trump's incendiary rhetoric, such as his vows to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, temporarily ban Muslims from the United States, build a wall along the border with Mexico and impose protectionist trade policies.
Trump on Tuesday called on Republicans to unite behind him.
"The fact is we have to bring our party together," Trump said.
"We have something happening that actually makes the Republican Party the biggest political story anywhere in the world," he said, referring to what he says are the millions of new voters he has attracted to the Republican Party.
"Democrats are coming in, Independents are coming in, and very, very importantly, people that never voted before. It's an incredible thing," Trump said.
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton swept all five states on offer on Tuesday against her opponent, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.
She now has an almost insurmountable edge over Sanders, burying the memory of her stunning loss in Michigan last week.
As she had after other primary wins, Clinton spoke on Tuesday about an increasingly likely match-up in the November 8 presidential election with Trump.
"We can't lose what made America great in the first place, and this isn't just about Donald Trump," Clinton told supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"We can't just talk about economic inequality, we have to take on all forms of inequality and discrimination."
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