Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primary Tuesday night in Michigan, defeating Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The Associated Press called the race earlier than many predicted, with Biden well ahead of Sanders. With 38 percent of the precincts reporting, Biden was ahead 53 percent compared to Sanders’ 40 percent of the vote.
This comes as a spokesman for Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Tuesday that the final results for the state’s primary election would not be ready until Wednesday due to a large number of absentee ballots. (RELATED: Michigan Primary Results To Be Delayed Until Wednesday)
Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders walks to a Coronavirus Public Health Roundtable at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan, on March 9, 2020. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Spokesman Jake Rollow said the results might not even come in until “early afternoon” Wednesday. Biden and Sanders were expected to be in a close race in Michigan, a state Sanders beat Hillary Clinton in during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. Biden remained ahead in the polls closing in on election day.
The loss is massive for Sanders, showing he has lost a following in the state he won in 2016. Meanwhile, it is a huge win for Biden, who has continued to pick up a massive amount of support from big-name Democrats since the field has tightened. (RELATED: Polls Show Biden Opening Up Double-Digit Leads Over Sanders Nationally And In Michigan)
Biden had a big night, easily winning Mississippi and Missouri.