Trump wins Washington primary and nears delegate threshold

[WASHINGTON] Donald Trump won Tuesday's Republican presidential primary in Washington state, according to the Associated Press, putting the party's presumptive nominee on the cusp of crossing the delegate threshold required to formally secure his party's nomination.

The only Republican candidate remaining in the field, Mr Trump has begun running a general election campaign - criticising likely Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, narrowing his search for a running mate and putting together a fundraising team.

On Tuesday, the mogul announced six prominent figures would serve as co-chairs for his joint fundraising operation with the Republican National Committee, including Woody Johnson, the former finance chairman to former Florida governor Jeb Bush's campaign.

Still, before the Washington state primary, Mr Trump was 68 delegates short of the 1,237 needed to win the Republican nomination outright, according to a count from the Associated Press.

Washington offered only 44 delegates, some of which may go to Mr Trump's former rivals, who remained on the ballot. Mr Trump picked up at least 24 delegates in Washington, the AP said.

Mr Trump is likely, however, to capture the requisite number in the remaining five contests, which offer more than 300 delegates on June 7.

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