Summary: Former Vice President Joe Biden gained his status as a frontrunner on Super Tuesday, winning 10 of the 14 states
Scoring sweeping victories across the United States, Joe Biden was the big winner of Super Tuesday. However, progressive rival Bernie Sanders seized Super Tuesday’s biggest prize with a win in the delegate-richest state California.
The two Democrats with starkly disparate visions for the future of the United States were battling for delegates as 14 states and one US territory held a series of high-stakes elections that marked the most significant day of voting at the party’s 2020 presidential nomination fight, Aljazeera reported.
Biden, whose campaign last than a week ago was thought to be on life support, emerged from Super Tuesday contests a reinvigorated candidate after winning in 10 states, including Texas, which with its 228 delegates at stake is crucial to the race.
“Just a few days ago, the press and the pundits had declared the campaign dead and then came South Carolina and they had something to say about it,” Biden said at an election night rally in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “We were told: ‘Well when you got to Super Tuesday, it would be over.’ Well, it may be over for the other guy.”
Biden who is popular with African-American voters was victorious in a line of states across the South- including Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Biden’s triumphant performance in Texas helped defeat another opponent, the former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg. After spending a small fortune the billionaire finished a distant third in the state. Bloomberg ended his campaign Wednesday and endorsed Biden, who he called “my friend and a great American.“
According to NPR, Bloomberg spent a whopping $500 million in Texas, Sanders spent more than $3.7 million, and the former vice president spent only $89,000 in the state.
With more than 90% of Texas precincts reporting, Biden holds a less than 4-point lead over Sanders, according to The Associated Press, which means both candidates will be awarded delegates.
The self-described Democratic socialist won the night’s largest prize, California.
Sanders gave an energetic and optimistic speech from his home state of Vermont.
“Tonight, I can tell you with absolute confidence, we’re going to win the Democratic nomination, and we’re going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of this country,” Sanders said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen later tonight. We are doing well in Texas right now, we won Colorado and I’m cautiously optimistic that later in the evening we can win the largest state in this country, the state of California,” Sanders added.
Michael Bloomberg’s exit from the race on Wednesday morning left Senator Elizabeth Warren as the last fence between either man and the nomination.
The Massachusetts Senator finished in a disappointing third place in her home state.
According to AP, Sanders said he’s spoken to Elizabeth Warren by phone and that she’s “not made any decisions” about leaving the Democratic presidential race.
After her disappointing Super Tuesday showing, reportedly, the Massachusetts senator is reassessing her candidacy.
Bernie Sanders said that the Democratic presidential primary race is “neck and neck” between him and Joe Biden but that he’s the only candidate not “backed by the corporate world.”