There have been no surprises in a night of voting in America known as Super Tuesday.
Millions of people are choosing who they want to see on the ballot paper in November's US presidential election with Donald Trump beating Nikki Haley for the Republican nomination in several states.
There is no real competition for Democrat Joe Biden making a re-run even more likely.
The two men swept to victory in stateswide nomination contests yesterday, setting up a historic rematch in November's election.
On a day traditionally dubbed Super Tuesday - when the most states choose who they think should be candidates - both virtually secured the nomination for their respective parties.
Mr Trump won in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Minnesota and Virginia, brushing aside Nikki Haley.
Meanwhile, President Biden appeared to win easily in 14 states but faced a sizeable protest vote in Minnesota where he still won. He lost in the US territory of American Samoa.
'Focused on his own revenge'
Despite their clear victories, a rematch between Mr Trump (77) and President Biden (81) - the first repeat US presidential matchup since 1956 - is one few Americans seem to want, based on opinion polls.
Speaking to a crowd gathered at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Mr Trump described the current president as the "worst" the country has ever seen.
"There's never been anything like what's happening to our country," he added, before wrongly adding 15 million people have crossed the southern border from Mexico to the US.
But President Biden warned his rival - who is facing a litany of criminal charges, including interference in the 2020 election - is "determined to destroy our democracy".
"He is driven by grievance and grift, focused on his own revenge and retribution, not the American people," he said.
Donald Trump, left, and Joe Biden, right, during a presidential debate in Cleveland, 30-9-20. Image: Associated Press / Alamy"He is determined to destroy our democracy, rip away fundamental freedoms like the ability for women to make their own healthcare decisions, and pass another round of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy - and he'll do or say anything to put himself in power."
Ms Haley, Mr Trump's last remaining Republican rival, appeared to suggest she will carry on campaigning despite now having no viable route to the nomination.
"In state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump," her campaign team said, while highlighting her win in Vermont.
"That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing those voters' concerns will make the Republican Party and America better."
The big issues
Immigration and the economy are leading concerns for voters in both parties, Edison exit polls in California, North Carolina and Virginia suggest.
A majority of Republican voters in those states said they backed deporting illegal immigrants, with Mr Trump promising to mount the largest deportation effort in US history if elected.
While Mr Trump and President Biden are almost certain to be the candidates, not enough states will have voted until later this month for either to formally become nominees.
President Biden's competency has also been called into question after a special counsel investigation into the handling of classified documents said he portrayed himself as an "elderly man with a poor memory."
Reporting by: IRN
