AP calls Texas presidential primaries for Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz

Photo: © 2016 Houston Chronicle Photo: © 2016 Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close AP calls Texas presidential primaries for Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — The Associated Press declared Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz the winners of the Texas primaries.

Cruz took 43 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. Billionaire Donald Trump trailed Cruz with about 27 percent of the vote and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio had almost 18 percent.

Hillary Clinton has 68 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.

FULL RESULTS: San Antonio Express-News election interactives

Overall, 117,459 early ballots were cast in Bexar County, with 61,965 in the Republican primary and 55,494 in the Democratic.

Clinton's bid for Texas delegates was helped by her showing in Bexar County's vote, where she won with 69 percent. Cruz had 41 percent of the Bexar County vote, Trump trailed with 25 percent and Rubio had 23 percent.

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Texas has only once before appeared on a Super Tuesday, giving the state an unusually important role in this year's primaries. This year, its 222 Democratic delegates and 155 GOP delegates make the state a prize in both hotly contested primaries.

The 12 states holding primaries and caucuses Tuesday account for 865 Democratic delegates and 595 Republican delegates. They will be awarded proportionally.

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Clinton carried Texas in the 2008 Democratic primary, edging out then Sen. Barack Obama with just over 50 percent of the vote. In Bexar County she won 56 percent.

The Republican primary hasn’t mattered here since 1980 when Ronald Reagan, who four years earlier lent his ultimately failed bid for the GOP nomination some legitimacy by carrying the state, defeated George H.W. Bush

jbuch@express-news.net

Twitter: @jlbuch