WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former vice president Joe Biden established a strong lead over Senator Bernie Sanders in the Super Tuesday contests to pick the Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump this November.
Among the 14 states at play, US networks have so far projected seven wins for Biden, with his string of victories in the country’s south demonstrating his strong support among African Americans, according to exit polls.
Leftist Sanders has three victories so far: his home state of Vermont, and Colorado and Utah in the west. He has lost in Minnesota and Oklahoma, where he handily defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016.
But the biggest prizes of the night are yet to come: delegate-rich California, where the self-described socialist is a strong favorite, and Texas.
A total of 1,357 delegates are at stake on Tuesday, about a third of the overall national total.
Biden, who has the backing of his party’s establishment, also appeared to have profited from the endorsements of former centrist rivals including Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, who dropped out in the run-up to the races.
Biden:
Alabama
Arkansas
Minnesota
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Virginia
Sanders:
Colorado
Utah
Vermont
© Agence France-Presse