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Former Vice President Joe Biden snagged key victories in four of six states that voted in March 10 primaries, solidifying his lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic party’s presidential candidate in the 2020 election.
Biden edged out Sanders for delegates in Idaho, Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi, while Sanders declared victory in North Dakota, according to the Associated Press. Washington state, which also voted Tuesday, was too close to call as of Thursday morning, but the latest report from the Seattle Times suggested vote tallies positioned Biden to win.
AP characterized Biden’s wins as a serious blow to Sanders, which “substantially widened Biden’s path to the nomination,” and gave the former vice president a 150-plus delegate lead over the Vermont senator.
“We need you, we want you, and there’s a place in our campaign for each of you. I want to thank Bernie Sanders and his supporters for their tireless energy and their passion,” Biden said. “We share a common goal, and together we’ll beat Donald Trump.”
Biden’s resurgence is credited to working-class and African American voters, while AP highlighted strength among young voters for the Sanders campaign and disclaimed the downside to that is lower turnout among that group.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is one of Sanders’ highest-profile, younger supporters in the House of Representatives. She echoed AP’s description of the Tuesday night defeat as a “particularly sobering” moment for his candidacy.
“There’s no sugarcoating it. Tonight’s a tough night,” she wrote on Instagram. “Tonight’s a tough night for the movement overall. Tonight’s a tough night electorally.”
Since Tuesday’s primaries, dubbed Big Tuesday, both candidates have canceled events as the coronavirus pandemic grips the nation and global economy, deciding to move forward with rescheduling each on a case-by-case basis.
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