Americans in five states voted yesterday in presidential primaries crucial to the White House hopes of frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but which also showcased deep-seated discontent of a downtrodden working class.
Blue-collar woes, immigration, trade and the spectre of violent protests dominated the debate ahead of primaries in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio - elections so key to the shape of the Republican and Democratic nominating races that some have dubbed it “Titanic Tuesday.”
For Republicans, the day may tell whether Trump can ride a tide of voter anger all the way to the nomination in July - or whether he will face a hostile and bitterly divided party at a contested convention.
For Democrats, the contests in the racially diverse, industrial Midwest will test Clinton’s electability outside of the South, where African-American voters have given her victory after victory.
Her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has denounced her support of free-trade pacts in a part of the country that has seen manufacturing jobs disappear as entire industries have moved offshore.
The election will show whether the Sanders campaign has legs, complicating Clinton’s shot at the nomination.