Hillary Clinton (left) and Donald Trump are the front-runners for their respective parties in the 2016 race for president.

It was a big night for both Hillary Clinton and Donald trump in New York State.

The respective Democratic and Republican presidential front runners picked up the majority of votes in the New York presidential primary on Tuesday. As a result they will also receive a good portion of party delegates that come with the victory.

Clinton, the former first lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, emerged from New York’s presidential primary closer to clinching the Democratic nomination and becoming the first woman to reach that milestone. Following her win in New York, a jubilant Clinton made clear she was moving past her unexpectedly competitive primary battle with Bernie Sanders and setting her sights on the general election. Of the 247 Democratic delegates at stake in New York, Clinton picked up at least 135 while Sanders gained at least 104.

Trump is also eager to move past the Republican primaries. With at least 89 of New York’s 95 delegates in hand, he insisted it was “impossible” for any of his rivals to catch him and warned party leaders against trying to take the nomination away from him at the convention.

The front-runners now hope to replicate their strong showings in New York in the cluster of Northeastern states next up on the primary calendar.

Clinton was scheduled to spend Wednesday campaigning in Pennsylvania, while Trump had a rally planned in Maryland, as well as Indiana.

SANDERS WINS CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, 23rd CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Locally in Chautauqua County – Sanders brought in more democratic votes than Clinton. Sanders received an unofficial count of 4081, not including absentees or affidavit ballots. Clinton, meanwhile, received 3483. That’s significantly less than the 6597 she received from Chautauqua County Democrats in the 2008 Primary, the last time she ran for president.

On the Republican side, Donald trump was the big winner in Chautauqua County, receiving 4648 votes from Republicans. Coming in second was Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 2098. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came in third with 1838.

Delegates are distributed by congressional district and  Sanders was the winner of the 23^rd congressional district, picking up 57.5 percent of the vote. Sanders had a total of 27,831 across the 23^rd while Clinton received 20,573.  On the GOP side, Trump picked up 30,129, Kasich had a total of 15,169 and Cruz finished with 12,200.

Registered Republicans across New York will choose between three presidential candidates: businessman Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.  Dr. Ben Carson’s name will also appear on the ballot even though he has withdrawn from the race. Trump is favored to win a significant number of delegates in today’s race, but both Cruz and Kasich are also hoping to secure delegates as well to continue the effort of forcing a contested GOP Convention in July.

Meanwhile, Democrats will choose between two presidential candidates: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Clinton has been the front-runner for the party the entire election season, but Sanders – originally from Brooklyn – has gained ground during the past month and is hoping to pull off a huge upset in his native state.

Voting in New York State to determine delegates to the national conventions is conducted by congressional district.

LARGE TURNOUT EXPECTED FOR CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

Hillary Clinton (left) and Donald Trump are the front-runners for their respective parties in the 2016 race for president.

Locally, a total of 25,659 Democrats and 24,934 Republicans are eligible to cast ballots in today in Chautauqua County. That’s according to Chautauqua County Election Commissioners Norman Green and Brian Abram, who remind registered party members that polls are open Noon to 9 p.m.

All county poll sites will be open.

Anyone who wants more information on where to vote and voter affiliation should visit www.votechautauqua.com or call the Board of Elections at 753-4580.

Donald Trump

BUFFALO – On the eve of primary day, Republican presidential candidate and front-runner Donald Trump came to Western New York to rally his supporters.

Trump appeared before a packed house at the First Niagara Center in downtown Buffalo, where he pledged to win the New York primary and to go on to win the Republican nomination on the first ballot.

It was his final rally before New Yorkers head to the polls on Tuesday, and one of his biggest, with 11,400 supporters packing the stands, according to the local police department.

Unlike some past rallies, news reports say this one ended quickly and peacefully. Some protestors tried to interrupt Trump during his speech but were removed by security.

Trump remains the top pick of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters nationally, but Ohio Gov. John Kasich has gained the most ground, according to the latest NBC News Weekly Election Tracking poll.

Trump remains at 46 percent support this week, unchanged from last week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dropped 2 points from last week and now has 28 percent support. Kasich has 19 percent support, up 3 points from last week. Kasich’s rise, while modest, still gives him the highest support he has had since the start of the tracking poll.

The poll was conducted online from April 11 to April 17 among 13,020 adults aged 18 and over.

Hillary Clinton (left) and Donald Trump will both appear in Buffalo prior to the New York Presidential Primary Vote on April 19. Democratic Candidate Bernie Sanders is said to also be planning a rally prior to the vote.

BUFFALO – The race to the presidential primary election day for New York State is underway.

The primary won’t be taking place until Tuesday, April 19, but the major candidates have already started stumping in areas of the Empire State, with several of them planning stops here in Western New York.

On Friday, former first lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be in Buffalo, making a pair of campaign stops.

Clinton’s husband and former president Bill Clinton had also made a stop in the Buffalo on Monday to meet with a supporters, including Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi and Chautauqua County Democratic Committee Chairman Norman Green.

Hillary Clinton will continue to court support from the region’s Democrats on Friday as she continues to battle Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for the party’s nomination. Not including Super Delegates, Clinton holds a 1280 to 1030 delegate lead over Sanders. A total of 2,383 are needed to secure a nomination.

Clinton’s stops Friday include a public rally at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum and the Jacobs Institute in the Gates Vascular Institute, for a private round-table discussion on growing jobs and raising income.

Meanwhile, reports say that Sanders may hold a possible rally as well at the University of Buffalo, although that has not been confirmed by the Sanders camp.

On the Republican Side, Donald Trump has announced a planned rally at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center, slated for Sunday, April 17. Trump is the front-runner for the GOP. It’s not known if either of the two other candidates – Sen. Ted Cruz or Ohio Gov. John Kasich, plan to appear in Western New York before the April 19 vote.