Marco Rubio wins Republican primary in Puerto Rico

Florida senator Marco Rubio has won the Republican primary election in Puerto Rico, US television projections have said, in a White House race still led by billionaire Donald Trump. Rubio, 44, had a comfortable lead in the US commonwealth in the Caribbean, according to CNN and NBC on Sunday. [caption id=“attachment_2659580” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rubio (left) has been trailing Donald Trump in the Republican primaries. Reuters[/caption] Residents of the island have US citizenship but cannot vote in the presidential election if they are Puerto Rico residents. Still, they take part in the primary process. Rubio had about three quarters of the votes, the projections showed, which should hand him the 23 party convention delegates in play. Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants who grew up in Las Vegas and Florida, has been struggling in the presidential race, and his campaign was in urgent need of some good news. If confirmed, this would mark just the second outright win for Rubio, who had earlier won Minnesota on Tuesday. Trump has kept a firm grip on his lead in the Republican race, and called for Rubio to end his presidential bid. Senator Ted Cruz has emerged as Trump’s strongest challenger in weekend primaries with mixed outcomes. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, extended her frontrunner status in the Democratic contests, though Senator Bernie Sanders showed he is still in the race with a pair of victories. Clinton and Sanders competed in Maine’s nominating contest on Sunday and faced off in a televised debate in Flint, Michigan, just two days before a crucial primary in the delegate-rich northern industrial state. PTI