TRACKING_____ Former US Vice President Joe Biden was off to a quick start on Tuesday, picking up early wins in Mississippi and Missouri, and also leading in Michigan, the biggest prize of all.
The three states were among the six which held primary contests on Super TuesdayII to select the Democratic presidential nominee to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November.
Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont are in a two-way battle for the party’s nod. A candidate needs at least 1,991 delegates to secure the nomination, and Biden led the delegate count heading into Tuesday’s contests.
Bernie Sanders
What is at stake in the six states:
MISSOURI
Delegate count: 68
Biden is projected to win Missouri and secure at least 13 delegates, according to Edison Research. Sanders will win at least five delegates.
While neither campaign made a major investment in Missouri, Biden’s support from black voters helped propel him to victory in the state. Sanders lost Missouri by a tiny margin to eventual nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary.
MISSISSIPPI
Delegate count: 36
Biden is projected to win Mississippi and secure at least eight delegates.
Biden was the clear favorite in Mississippi, given his strength among black voters and his dominant performance last week in neighboring Alabama. In 2016, more than two-thirds of Democratic primary voters in Mississippi were black.
MICHIGAN
Delegate count: 125
The biggest prize on Tuesday, Michigan could either revive Sanders’ flagging momentum or deliver a crucial victory for Biden. Both candidates have campaigned hard in the state, where Sanders pulled off a stunning upset over Clinton in 2016. State opinion polls show Biden with a commanding lead – although, notably, last-minute polls in 2016 gave Clinton a similarly large advantage.
WASHINGTON STATE
Delegate count: 89
Polls close: 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT Wednesday)
Sanders cruised to victory in this liberal-leaning state in 2016. But recent polls have suggested a surging Biden has closed the gap, even though Sanders has a far bigger presence on the ground. Washington switched this year from holding caucuses – a format that has historically helped Sanders by drawing a younger, more activist electorate – to a primary election in which voters cast their ballots by mail. A loss for Sanders in the state, while still unlikely, would be a bad sign for his prospects.
IDAHO
Delegate count: 20
There has not been any public polling of Idaho. Sanders easily won the state in 2016, but its shift to a primary from caucuses could hurt his chances for a repeat.
NORTH DAKOTA
Delegate count: 14
Like Idaho, North Dakota strongly backed Sanders in 2016. Unlike Idaho, the state has chosen to stick with caucuses in 2020, a system seen as an advantage for Sanders and his intensely loyal followers. There has not been any public polling of North Dakota.
