Clinton has fended off a tough challenge by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to win the state's Democratic presidential primary. Her campaign had focused heavily on the state, running television campaign ads with an endorsement from a daughter of the Sandy Hook School principal who was killed in the 2012 shooting rampage. Sanders drew huge crowds of supporters in recent days. On Sunday, an estimated 14,000 people attended a rally on the New Haven Green while another 1,800 appeared for an event in Hartford. Besides her own appearances, Clinton had numerous well-known supporters, including her former president husband and daughter, campaign on her behalf. Most of the state's top Democrats, including Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, backed her.
Trump drew thousands of voters to three boisterous rallies in the state but received little public support from the state's top Republicans, many of whom endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich. He still easily defeated his two rivals, Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the only one of the five presidential candidates who didn't campaign in here over the last several days. The contest marked a rare opportunity for both Republican and Democratic primary voters here to see their election preferences carry some weight.