Super Tuesday Results: Joe Biden Scores Surprising Wins Across America, But Sanders Romps in California

It wasn’t so long ago — barely a week, actually — that we were wondering if might be unstoppable after he followed up his primary win in New Hampshire by dominating the Nevada caucuses.

How quickly things change.

Despite disappointing performances in the first three primary states, bested the competition in South Carolina by well over a two-to-one margin, leading the Democratic establishment to finally rally behind the most ble moderate remaining. A day after Biden won, Iowa caucuses delegate winner Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race. A day later, so did Amy Klobuchar. Both of them traveled to Dallas Monday night to endorse Biden, as did Texas’ Beto O’Rourke, who took the former vice president out to Whataburger following a rally at a local honky-tonk. The scramble appeared to be a coordinated, last-ditch effort to prevent Sanders, a democratic socialist who has openly criticized the party, from winning the nomination.

It just may be working.

Biden had a very good night, claiming victory in Texas after midnight, following a sweep the southern contests, and surprise victories in Massachusetts and Minnesota — a win he thanked Klobuchar for providing.

For his part, Sanders won the grandest prize of all, taking California in what appears to be convincing fashion, while also racking up wins in Vermont, Colorado, and Utah.

quickly turned into a two-man battle between Biden and Sanders — with Mike Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren largely cancelling each other out. Warren failed to win her home state of Massachusetts and may even finish third there. Bloomberg won only the contest in American Samoa.

Ultimately, this is a race for delegates and not states — and the states that voted Tuesday represent over a third of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the nomination. When the dust settles, it seems likely that Biden will have vaulted to a modest lead over Sanders. But much counting remains to be done out west.

Here’s a rundown of the results from Super Tuesday, with only Maine yet to be called:

ALABAMA

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stats: Biden won 72 percent of the black vote, 76 percent of seniors, and 70 percent of people who most want a candidate to unite the country. Open question whether Sanders will earn enough support to win delegates here.
Delegates Available: 52

AMERICAN SAMOA

Projected Winner: Mike Bloomberg
Key Stats: First win for the billionaire. Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard finished second and nabbed her first delegate of the race.
Delegates Available: 6

ARKANSAS

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stat: Bloomberg in the delegate hunt here.
Delegates Available: 31

CALIFORNIA

Projected Winner: Bernie Sanders
Key Stat: Sanders secured 55 percent of the state’s Latino vote, compared to 21 percent for Biden, and a full 50 percent of independents, who vote in droves in California. Elizabeth Warren is hovering on the cusp of bility (15 percent) of the vote, meaning she could force a three-way split of the state’s delegates and blunt some of the impact of Sanders’ victory.
Delegates Available: 415

COLORADO

Projected Winner: Bernie Sanders
Key Stat: Sanders won 45 percent of the (predominantly Latino) non-white vote.
Delegates Available: 67

MAINE

Projected Winner: TBD
Key Stat: Among the 72 percent of Maine voters who want Medicare for All, nearly half voted for Sanders — compared to 21 percent for Warren and 20 percent for Biden.
Delegates Available: 24

MASSACHUSETTS

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stat: Women made up 56 percent of primary turnout, and the highest margin of those, 30 percent, supported Elizabeth Warren.
Delegates Available: 91

MINNESOTA

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stats: Klobuchar voters heard the message about her withdrawal and endorsement; she earned low single digits. 54 percent of Minnesotans said they decided in the closing days, and Biden picked up nearly half their support.
Delegates Available: 75

NORTH CAROLINA

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stats: Biden won 63 percent of the black vote, as well as 48 percent of the Hispanic vote, besting Sanders’ 31 percent. Sanders won 54 percent of youth vote, but 50 percent of voters over 45 broke for Biden, including 55 percent of seniors. 55 percent of North Carolina primary voters supported Medicare for All, but those who don’t broke strongly for Biden, 57 percent.
Delegates Available: 110

OKLAHOMA

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stat: Biden won with voters of all ideological stripes, except “very liberal” voters who backed Sanders with 51 percent.
Delegates Available: 37

TENNESSEE

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stat: Biden won 65 percent of voters who decided in the last few days.
Delegates Available: 64

TEXAS

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stat: Hispanics made up nearly a third of the electorate, and Sanders scored support from 45 percent, compared to 24 percent for Biden.
Delegates Available: 228

UTAH

Projected Winner: Bernie Sanders
Key Stat: Bloomberg running second here.
Delegates Available: 29

VIRGINIA

Projected Winner: Joe Biden
Key Stats: Biden won 71 percent of the black vote and a strong plurality of Hispanics, 47 percent. Biden also won 65 percent of voters over 45, and 76 percent of seniors.
Delegates Available: 99

VERMONT

Projected Winner: Bernie Sanders
Key Stats: Sanders dominated in his home state, winning voters under 45 with 72 percent compared to Biden’s 4 percent.
Delegates Available: 16

BOTTOM LINE

A pair of white guys pushing 80 have — despite Bloomberg’s billions and Warren’s devoted core following — left the rest of the field behind.