Super Tuesday: Bernie Takes California, Strong Night for Biden

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Update 1:15 AM

Joe Biden has had for now a strong night. The establishment’s candidate has won Virginia, Minnesota, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Tennessee, gathering 376 delegates so far. Biden has also taken a thin lead in Texas, where 228 pledged delegates are up for grabs. 

But dozens of people are still in line to vote in Texas according to various reports.

Bernie Sanders is until now the runner up of the night. But the Vermont Sen. is well on his way to pick the biggest prize: California. Sanders has so far 295 delegates. 

Update 12:10 AM

People are still standing in line to cast their ballots in Texas as the polls closed four hours ago. Exit polls place Biden and Sanders neck to neck in the second most important state of the Super Tuesday after California.

Update 11:45 PM

The biggest polls of the night closed in California, a state with 415 delegates. 

Numerous exit polls, including a projection by the Associated Press, show Bernie Sanders with a 15-point lead in the key state, which he had lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016.

If the Vermont Sen. manages to maintain this lead, it will help him to counteract Joe Biden’s surge since the South California primary and since Buttigieg and Klobuchar’s last-minute endorsements.

Yet it may take some time before we know California’s final results as the state has a slow vote-reporting operation.

On the other hand, Bloomberg who had a very disappointing night said he will reassess his candidacy tomorrow.

Update 11:15 PM

Biden wins Massachusetts, the state represented by Elizabeth Warren in the U.S. Senate. Sanders who was favored to win the state days ago came second and Warren third, raising serious questions about the future of her candidacy.

Update 11:00 PM

Sanders wins his third state of the night with a victory in Utah. Biden who is so far the winner of the Super Tuesday is only in fourth place in the state.

California officially closed, however, voters in Los Angeles County will be allowed to vote. California which the biggest prize of tonight is the last state to close polls. 

Update 10:40 PM

Voters in key states Texas reported long “extremely long” lines at polling centers. 

On the other hand, a top civil rights group filed a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission today over robocalls spreading misinformation about the state’s Democratic primary 

According to the group, robocalls falsely told Texas voters the state’s Democratic primary was on March 4. 

"Robocalls are employed on Election Day for one purpose — to cause harm and disrupt the electoral process among targeted communities,” said Kristen Clark, executive director of the group. "They spread disinformation intended to cause confusion that might ultimately disenfranchise voters.”

Update 10:20 PM

The sixth state won by Biden tonight is Minnesota. Polls a week ago showed the former vice-president wasn’t doing that well in that state but it seems that Amy Klobuchar’s last-minute endorsement has helped him to victory.

Biden also wins the Democratic primary in Arkansas.

In a speech given from his home state of Vermont, Sen. Sanders appeared confident. He reiterated he will win the nomination thanks to the huge movement he and his supporters managed to create. 

"Tonight I tell you with absolute confidence, we are going to win the Democratic nomination. And we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of the country,” the Vermont Sen. said

Update 9:45 PM

Polls closed in Arkansas with Biden continuing going strong. The candidate of the establishment also won the primary in Oklahoma and in Tennessee where several polling sites stayed open late after the passage Tuesday morning of tornadoes through the state.

Sanders secured his second win of the night in Colorado.

Update 8:45 PM

Joe Biden is projected to take Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama, while front-runner Bernie Sanders was declared the winner in his home state of Vermont as polls began to close on Super Tuesday, the biggest day of voting in the Democratic presidential nominating race.

Sanders has a small lead in Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Texas, while Biden leads in Maine, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

As many as half the voters taking part in the primaries said they made up their minds in the last few days, and the lion’s share of those late deciders backed Joe Biden, according to Edison Research exit polling.

Update 8:00 PM

Candidates are already sharing their thoughts on the current contest on Twitter:

Update 7:30 PM

Bernie Sanders is projected to win Vermont, while Joe Biden is expected to win Virginia, according to exit polls by Edison Research.

Half of Minnesota's Democratic primary voters say they made their Super Tuesday decision in the last few days, and the largest share of them are backing Joe Biden, the same poll said.

Meanwhile, several Tennessee polling places will stay open at least an extra hour to allow Democratic primary voters on Super Tuesday to continue to cast ballots after the state was hit by deadly storms overnight, the state's Democratic Party announced on Twitter.

The rush of primary elections on Tuesday, in which one-third of the delegates are up for grabs, may provide some clarity in a muddled race with several candidates rising and falling, leaving many Democratic voters torn and uncertain.

California, the most populous state, is a tantalizing prize in Super Tuesday elections in 14 states that are the first national test for candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to face Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election.

Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont and front-runner in the election, who has vowed to make the wealthy and corporations assume a more substantial tax burden, is hoping progressives, Latinos, and young voters turn out to make his second bid for the Democratic nomination successful.

At least 1,991 delegates are needed to become the nominee at the party's convention in July.