Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has won South Carolina in a contest that saw former Florida Governor Jeb Bush drop out, while Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton beat back a strong challenge from Bernie Sanders in Nevada.
The victories by Trump and Clinton on Saturday solidified their positions as the front-runners to win their parties' respective presidential nominations ahead of the November 8 election.
Bush suffered a distant fourth place finish in the Republican contest and announced he had suspended his campaign, ending his dream of becoming a third Bush president after his father and brother.
"The people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision," an emotional Bush said in Columbia. He finished far out of the running in each of the first three states.
By winning both South Carolina and New Hampshire and holding leads in the 11 states that vote on March 1, Trump was arguably on track to win the nomination, an outcome that seemed astounding to contemplate when he got into the race last northern summer.
"It's going to be very difficult for him to be derailed at this point," said Hogan Gidley, who was a senior adviser to former Republican candidate Mike Huckabee.
Trump, 69, was declared the victor about an hour after polls closed in South Carolina.
"Let's put this thing away," Trump said in his victory speech in Spartanburg.
Trump was as feisty and anti-establishment as ever, denouncing TV pundits for saying that if his remaining opponents consolidated around one Trump alternative, there would be enough anti-Trump votes to beat him.
"These geniuses," he said. "They don't understand that as people drop out, I'm going to get a lot of those votes also. You don't just add them together."
He easily defeated Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who were in a close fight for second place and the right to declare themselves the anti-Trump alternative.
Clinton's victory in the Nevada Democratic caucuses, meanwhile, could help calm Democratic Party worries about the strength of her campaign.
Her win denied Sanders the breakthrough win he had sought in a state with a heavy minority population, but his ability to close a one-time double-digit polling lead for Clinton suggests the Democratic nominating race will be long and hard fought.
Clinton's victory buoyed worried supporters and gave her fresh momentum as she heads into the next contest in South Carolina on February 27, where polls show her with a double-digit lead largely as a result of heavy support from black voters.
"Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other," she told cheering supporters at a victory rally in Las Vegas.
Sanders vowed to fight on and set his sights on the 11 states that vote on "Super Tuesday" on March 1.
