Rhode Island Presidential Primary: Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump Victorious

10:30 p.m.: With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Bernie Sanders has commanded a 54 to 43 percent victory in Rhode Island's presidential preference primary on Tuesday night.

The victory was Sanders' lone win on Tuesday night and does not completely derail Hillary Clinton's trajectory toward the nomination but it did send shockwaves across the Ocean State.

Clinton was widely believed to have a good chance of defeating Sanders' here in blue Rhode Island, securing endorsements from the Governor and the entire Rhode Island federal delegation.

But voters' distaste for incumbents and established party politics prevailed with Sanders beating Clinton by a whopping 10 points, securing 66,720 votes to Clintons' 52,493.

Sanders' released the following statement Tuesday night:

“I congratulate Secretary Clinton on her victories tonight, and I look forward to issue-oriented campaigns in the 14 contests to come.

“I am proud that we were able to win a resounding victory tonight in Rhode Island, the one state with an open primary where independents had a say in the outcome. Democrats should recognize that the ticket with the best chance of winning this November must attract support from independents as well as Democrats. I am proud of my campaign’s record in that regard.

“The people in every state in this country should have the right to determine who they want as president and what the agenda of the Democratic Party should be. That’s why we are in this race until the last vote is cast. That is why this campaign is going to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia with as many delegates as possible to fight for a progressive party platform that calls for a $15 an hour minimum wage, an end to our disastrous trade policies, a Medicare-for-all health care system, breaking up Wall Street financial institutions, ending fracking in our country, making public colleges and universities tuition free and passing a carbon tax so we can effectively address the planetary crisis of climate change.”

9:15 p.m.: Bernie Sanders is the projected winner of the Democratic Presidential Preference Primary in Rhode Island. The Associated Press called the race at around 9:11 p.m.

Sanders' win is a huge blow to establishment Democrats in Rhode Island, who backed Hillary Clinton from the top down and hobnobbed with both Bill and Hillary Clinton in the days leading up to the primary during several campaign stops across the state.

Sanders' strong showing was distributed in a remarkably even fashion across the state, winning districts that were expected to fall in Clinton's favor.

The results are a clear indication that incumbent Democrats who hold a profound grip on power at the State House should feel uneasy in their seats heading into a contentious election this November.

Laruen Niedel, state chairwoman for the Sanders campaign, told RI Future that Bernie's victory is as much about as getting him elected as fighting the establishment.

“Raimondo, Elorza, Gorbea, they don’t represent the Democratic Party here, they don’t represent us. They have D’s next to their name, but they’re not Bernie is the one who represents us, the people," she said.

Clinton, speaking in Philadelphia as the call was made here in Rhode Island, said that that “Whether you support Sen. Sanders or support me, there’s much more that unites us than divides us.”

Democrats agree on: higher wages, college affordable to all, quality health care everyone can afford, keeping troops out of needless conflicts, clean energy, and defending all rights -- civil, voting, women’s, LGBT and disability rights, she said.

"But despite what other candidates say we believe in the goodness of our people and the greatness of our nation."

8:44 p.m.: The AP and every other major news outlet has now settled on the fact that Donald Trump has swept every primary this Tuesday, including Rhode Island.

The attention now turns to the Democrats where Bernie Sanders is ahead of Clinton with a 7,000 vote advantage with 13 precincts reporting.

8:25 p.m.: Donald Trump is projected to win the Rhode Island presidential primary, according to CBS news.

Trump is expected to handily take the Ocean State and had more than 60 percent the vote after the first batch of precincts reported.

A crowd of Trump supporters gathered for a results watch party at Chapel View in Cranston burst into applause when the call was made.

State Trump campaign honorary chairman and Warwick State House Representative Joe Trillo said that Trump's victory beat even his expectations.

Trillo said that he expected Trump to get more than 50 percent of the vote.

"What's coming out right now is just unbelievable," he said in an interview. "It's a tremendous statement what this team has done, it has motivated people to come out. People are sick and tired of business as usual, of politicans making promises they don't keep."

Meanwhile Bernie Sanders has an early advantage over Hillary Clinton.

8:15 p.m.: Polls are closed in Rhode Island, but there are some lines at several polling places, delaying results for those districts. In the meantime, early results are beginning to trickle in.

Donald Trump is expected to cruise to victory in Rhode Island, but it was too early to make the immediate call. Meanwhile, Trump has been declared the winner in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland, which also have Presidential Preference Primaries today.

Hillary Clinton has been declared the winner in Maryland, according to multiple news outlets.

See real-time results below.

LIVE RESULTS BELOW BEGINNING AT 8 P.M:

4:23 p.m.: Canvassers are reporting huge turnout across Rhode Island in the hotly contested Presidential Preference Primary. With less than four hours left to vote, places that saw scant crowds in 2012 are seeing a steady stream of voters.

Almost 1,000 people had voted at the Swift Gym in East Greenwich by 4 p.m. Consider that in 2012, just 440 people voted in the Republican primary in East Greenwich (57 voted on the Democratic side during President Obama's unopposed reelection bid).

In Woonsocket, 2,440 voters had made their way through the polls, according to State Rep. Mike Marcello as he made his rounds on Primary Day.

"In 2012, the number was a mere 410," he tweeted.

And despite only one-third of the state's usual polling places being open today, things have generally been smooth sailing aside from a few scattered hiccups with counting machines.

10 a.m.: Some Rhode Islanders were greeted with long lines at polling places this Tuesday to vote in the Presidential Preference Primary.

Turnout is expected to be strong this year thanks to a highly-competitive race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the Democrat contest and kinetic energy surrounding Donald Trump after his big rally in Warwick yesterday. It's also the one of the few primaries in recent history during which the Ocean State is actually a battleground.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. Before voting, a few key bits worth noting:

• Bring a photo ID to the polls. Rhode Island is a voter ID state.
• Confirm your polling place. Only a third of the state's usual polling places are open for the primary. The best way to find your polling place is at the state's Voter Information Center website.

From Monday:

RHODE ISLAND—Little Rhody is a big deal heading into the presidential primary on Tuesday.

It's an unfamiliar scenario for Rhode Island voters, who normally pick delegates in low-turnout primaries that typically occur after the presumptive Republican and Democrat nominees have been chosen after earlier primaries.

But in this remarkable election year that proved establishment candidates no longer can rely on traditional expectations, the lengthy primary battle happening in both parties has thrust the Ocean State into the spotlight.

This story will be updated regularly through Tuesday night with election results.

That has filled the airwaves with political ads and prompted every candidate except for Ted Cruz to make appearances here to rally voters in the runup to Tuesday.

On Friday, John Kasich hosted a Town Hall event in Smithfield. On Saturday, Hillary Clinton grubbed in Johnston after hosting a large rally at the Community College of Rhode Island. Bernie Sanders brought 7,000 people to Providence on Sunday. And Donald Trump is poised to speak at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick on Monday.

The latest Brown University poll released on Sunday shows that Rhode Island could go either way in either race thanks to a large number of undecided and unaffiliated voters.