Donald Trump is dominating in another key round of primary states
Shortly after the polls closed Tuesday evening, NBC said the real-estate magnate was on track to win big in the Connecticut, Maryland, and Pennsylvania GOP primaries.
All signs before the matchups in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Delaware pointed to blowout victories for the Republican presidential frontrunner.
Recent surveys leading up to the five primaries showed Trump with massive leads over his Republican rivals.
Still, it's unclear whether Trump's victories will help him reach the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the Republican presidential nomination.
On Sunday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Ted Cruz Cruz announced an alliance to essentially halt campaigning in certain states where the other candidate has a clear advantage, an attempt to block Trump from his path to the nomination.
Kasich canceled campaign events and advertisements in Indiana, while Cruz's campaign said that it will clear a path for Kasich to perform well in Oregon and New Mexico.
If Trump does not reach the 1,237-delegate threshold, he could run into problems attempting to lock up the nomination. Cruz has continually outmaneuvered Trump in electing delegates to the Republican National Convention. If Trump does not win 1,237 delegates, many convention delegates would become "unbound" to Trump in later rounds of convention voting, giving Cruz or Kasich a likely boost in support.