Washington: The race to win the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in the November election has virtually narrowed down to a two-way contest between former vice-president Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders as the two septuagenarians secured major victories in the ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries held in 14 states across the United States.
In a remarkable rebound for his limping campaign, 77-year-old Biden won nine of the 14 states that voted to pick a Democratic candidate on ‘Super Tuesday’, the most important day in the race for the White House.
The former US vice-president overturned predictions to narrowly take the key state of Texas from his main challenger, Sanders, 78. He also won the primaries in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota and Massachusetts. He was still locked in a tight race in Maine that could make it 10.
However, leftist Sanders won big in California – the biggest prize of the night – as well as in Colorado and Utah. He also won from his home state of Vermont.
The two now lead the race to face President Trump, a Republican, in the November 3 presidential elections.
“We are very much alive,” Biden told a crowd in Los Angeles. “Make no mistake about it, this campaign will send Donald Trump packing.”
According to ‘NBC News’ projections, Biden gained 342 on Super Tuesday, bringing his delegate total to 395. Sanders so far has bagged 245 delegates and is now at 305.
Sanders, by winning big in the State of California – which sends 415 pledge delegates – signalled that his fight to win the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump was far from over.
Either of the candidates need at least 1,991 of the 3,979 pledged delegates to win the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. On ‘Super Tuesday’, 1,357 pledged delegates were at stake.
The outcome of the Tuesday’s results indicated that it was virtually the end of the race for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren after she badly lost her own home State to Biden. Warren, once the frontrunner in the race, gained just 13 delegates, giving her a total of 21.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a late entrant in the race, too failed to make a dent as he won the American Samoa Caucus only. Media reports in the US however said Bloomberg has suspended his campaign and backed Biden.
Addressing his supporters in Los Angeles, Biden said the momentum was on his side. “The press and the pundits declared us dead — but tonight (Tuesday) has made clear that we are very much alive,” he said and urged his countrymen to join his campaign. “It’s a good night and it seems to be getting even better,” he said.
President Trump took to Twitter to take a jibe at his Democratic rivals. “The biggest loser tonight, by far, is Mini Mike Bloomberg. His ‘political’ consultants took him for a ride,” Trump tweeted after decisively winning the Republican primary.
“USD 700 million washed down the drain, and he got nothing for it but the nickname Mini Mike, and the complete destruction of his reputation. Way to go Mike!” Trump said.
The next primaries take place March 10 in Michigan, Washington state, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri and North Dakota, with 352 delegates at stake.
AP