Biden wins nine of 14 states

Washington, March 4: The race to win the Democratic Party’s nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in the November election has effectively narrowed down to a direct contest between ex-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 US.

In a remarkable rebound for his 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 vicepresident 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.

However, 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 Donald Trump, a Republican, in the November 3 presidential election.

“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, meanwhile, so far won 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. — AP