Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal March 1, 2016 - At 7am Memphians start lining up at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church to cast their Super Tuesday ballot.

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By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

Donald Trump scored a decisive victory in Tennessee's Republican presidential primary Tuesday night, helping to reinforce his status as the GOP frontrunner for the White House, while Hillary Clinton overwhelmingly won the state's Democratic voters in her bid to become the nation's first woman president.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting late Tuesday, Trump captured 40 percent of the vote. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was a distant second with 24 percent, followed by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida with 21 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson was fourth with 8 percent, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich trailed just behind him with 5 percent.

"This has been an amazing win," Trump said in a victory speech to supporters in Palm Beach, Fla.

On the Democratic side, Clinton walloped U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, 66 percent to 33 percent.

In a victory speech at her campaign offices in Miami, the former secretary of state said her victory in Tennessee and other Super Tuesday states shows that "all across our country, Democrats voted to break down barriers so we can all rise together."

The campaign now moves on to Louisiana, Michigan and other states, she said, and "we're going to work for every vote."

In Tennessee, voters braved unusually long lines and, at times, heavy rain to cast their votes in what appeared likely would set a record turnout for a presidential primary in the Volunteer State.

Tennesseans — especially young and first-time voters — cheerfully posted photos of themselves and friends with "I Voted" stickers on social media and bragged about standing for up to two hours in lines made long by the heavy turnout.

Tennessee was one of a dozen states making their picks for president on Super Tuesday, and half of them were in the South, resulting in what some have dubbed the "SEC primary."

Fifty-eight delegates on the Republican side will be awarded as a result of Tennessee's election returns, but they will be distributed on a proportional basis, and party officials said it would probably be Wednesday before it's known how they will be divided up. Tennessee Democrats will award 67 delegates.

Trump's lopsided win came despite a push by Gov. Bill Haslam and other GOP leaders to stop him. Haslam threw his support behind Rubio and argued other voters should rally around the senator because he was best positioned to unite the party and win the general election.

After Tuesday's results, Haslam issued a statement saying he was encouraged that hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans had exercised their right to vote. "Now this process will play out in other states across the country," he said.

Tennessee Democratic Party Chairwoman Mary Mancini took to Twitter to congratulate Clinton on her victory. Clinton "did a fantastic job and put in the sweat equity that it takes to win the sate, and she was rewarded," Mancini said.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Clinton supporter, said the former secretary of state's win in Tennessee shows that she is continuing to gain momentum and refine her message for the general election.

"She is committed to seeing our nation operate in harmony as we work together to break down barriers that prevent America from becoming the perfect union that was dreamed of but not yet created," the Memphis Democrat said.

Though Trump and Clinton both had been considered heavy favorites, several candidates brought their campaigns to Tennessee in recent days to make last-minute pitches directly to voters.

Trump told a crowd inside a Millington Regional Jetport hangar on Saturday that he's "got to win" Tennessee's primary. Kasich told a packed town hall meeting in Memphis that he was picking up significant support.

Clinton appeared at church services in Memphis on Sunday, telling two predominantly black congregations she would work to "break down every barrier" of discrimination. Also on Sunday in Memphis, Carson said he had no plans to quit the Republican race, while visiting an organization that offers housing and other support to military veterans. And, in Knoxville, Rubio promised East Tennesseans at a rally on Monday that, if elected, he would help Americans fulfill their hopes and dreams for a better future.

On the airwaves, Cruz was dominant in Tennessee. The Texas senator and his super political-action committee spent more than $1 million on television advertising in the Volunteer State, with some of it devoted to attacking Trump. Clinton spent $180,000 on TV ads, all in the Nashville and Memphis media markets where Democratic voters are most concentrated.

Nashville Bureau Chief Richard Locker contributed information to this story.