Trump dominates with huge turnouts, wide base of support

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) -- Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump continues to demonstrate a wide base of support, riding record turnouts to seven victories out of the 11 states where Republicans cast Super Tuesday ballots.Exit polls conducted for the Associated Press and other media across nine of the states showed Trump drawing significant support across educational, ideological, age and income classifications. Perhaps most important for Trump: Even among voting groups where he was weakest, he maintained enough strength to deny Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio any chance of catching him.

 It was a repeat of the billionaire businessman's performance in February, when he won three of the first four nominating contest. On Tuesday, he added states as disparate as Vermont, Virginia and Alabama to his win column."We have expanded the Republican Party," Trump gloated Tuesday night in his victory speech.

Indeed, Republicans vote totals exceeded 2012 primary numbers in every state but Vermont. Certainly, several states held later primaries four years ago, drawing less interest. But some increases were nonetheless eye-popping: 386 percent in Virginia, 261 percent in Arkansas, 154 percent in Tennessee.Turnout was up even in states Trump lost, almost doubling for Cruz's win in his home state of Texas and more than doubling in Minnesota, which gave Rubio his only victory thus far.Republicans relished pointing out Democratic primary turnout is down from their last competitive nomination fight in 2008.