Biden says he's 'alive' after win in Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi
Primary voters in the key battleground state of Michigan as well as Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington state headed to the polls in a closely watched contest that could help determine the next phase of the Democratic race for the presidential nomination.
There are 352 delegates up for grabs across the six states.
Here's how the night unfolded.
6: 33 a.am. In Washington State, the counting continues
With 69% of the expected vote reporting in Washington, it's a tie between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders 33%-33%. Washington is a completely vote-by-mail system, and Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg are currently scooping up a significant amount of the vote: Warren has 12% and Bloomberg has 11%.
Once a ballot is submitted, voters cannot change or "spoil" their ballots and vote for someone else, like voters in Michigan could have if the candidate they voted for dropped out.
However, there's a good chance two candidates who ended their bids, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren's percent share of the vote will decrease as the state processes more ballots received on Election Day, and received in the mail today.
The secretary of state's office told ABC News Tuesday night, "We typically see about half of the ballots we will receive for the whole primary on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of election week, with about the same number of ballots received Wednesday that we'll receive today."
Popular vote so far as of Tuesday night
Biden: 1,838,614 (50%)
Sanders: 1,229,836 (34%)
Gabbard: 24,770 (1%)
ABC News' Quinn Scanlan reporting.
1: 58 a.m. ABC pledged delegate totals from Tuesday's voting: Biden 169, Sanders 105
Democrats:
274 Pledged Delegates have been allocated today.
91 remain outstanding
Tuesday's pledged delegate totals stand at:
169 Biden
105 Sanders
Biden has 806 pledged delegates overall while Sanders has 662.
1,991 delegates are needed to nominate.
1:35 a.m. ABC News projects Biden wins Idaho
Based on an analysis of the vote, ABC News projects that former vice president Joe Biden will win the Idaho primary.
12: 39 a.m. Two "Squad" members backing Sanders stress need to fight for progressives values
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent Sanders surrogate and member of the "Squad", took to Instagram Live to react to tonight's primary results, which saw the Vermont senator take heavy defeats in multiple states, including delegate-rich Michigan. She acknowledged how difficult the evening was for Sanders and for the revolutionary movement he is running on.
"You know, there's no sugar coating it - tonight's a tough night," she said. "Tonight's a tough night for the movement overall."
Ocasio-Cortez stressed the importance of recognizing this generational gap as the "movement" goes forward.
"I congratulate Vice President Biden on the states that he won this evening. But if you want to look in and say, "What does this mean for the movement?" One of the things we're seeing is that there's a very strong generational divide [...] across many different issues. There's a generational divide in the Democratic Party on health care, on climate change, on foreign policy, on pretty much every policy imaginable. And as a younger person in this movement, I take a lot of that information for how we navigate the next decade," she said. "What is surprising is how stark it actually is. We're not talking about a generational bump or a little bit of an edge. It is decisively different. And that is something that we need to read into, it's something that we need to be paying attention to."
Earlier in the evening, another member of the "Squad" and a fellow Sanders backer, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, also weighed in on his run.
"Yes we are a family, united in restoring our democracy and committed to defeating Trump, but that doesn't mean we should stop fighting for the candidate that best represents our policy priorities in this Primary. Be kind to one another and let's have each other's back in Nov!"
Yes we are a family, united in restoring our democracy and committed to defeating Trump, but that doesn't mean we should stop fighting for the candidate that best represents our policy priorities in this Primary.
Be kind to one another and let's have each other's back in Nov!
- Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 11, 2020
12:12 a.m. The state of voting in the states as the primary night draws to a close
With an estimated 68% of the expected vote counted in the Washington Democratic primary, Biden and Sanders are literally tied. The vote is coming in slowly.
A winner is not expected before the morning.
In Idaho, with 41% of the expected vote in, Biden is leading.
There are only 2200 votes counted so far in North Dakota - all mail-in. They have not begun to release any election day vote.
12 a.m. Voters focused on ability to handle a crisis, but lacked enthusiasm overall for either candidate: Analysis
Trust over Bernie Sanders to handle a crisis added weight to Joe Biden's electability argument in Democratic primaries Tuesday - but a lack of enthusiasm for either candidate was apparent in exit poll results, potentially raising questions for the fall campaign ahead.
Sixty percent in Missouri, 51% in same-day voter results in Michigan and 46% in preliminary data from Washington picked Biden as more trusted to handle a crisis. Fifty-seven to 66% also saw him as better able to defeat Donald Trump, cementing the claim to perceived electability that lifted Biden on Super Tuesday. (Neither question was asked in Mississippi, which also had an exit poll.)
At the same time, enthusiasm was not vast. Just 41% in Missouri, 35% in Washington and 31% of same-day voters in Michigan were enthusiastic about Biden as the nominee. Sanders fared worse in Missouri, the same in Washington and had slightly better enthusiasm than Biden's in Michigan, 36%. (Again the question wasn't asked in Mississippi.)
Exit poll data from Michigan, the top prize, were compromised: The National Election Pool reported that because of a sampling problem, results of the exit poll there excluded views of the estimated 40 percent of voters who had voted early or absentee. (In Washington, with all mail-in voting, a telephone survey took the place of an exit poll; adjustments for weighting to actual vote were pending.)
From his sweeping victory in Mississippi to his convincing win in the two Midwestern states voting, the night clearly cemented Biden's frontrunner status.
ABC News' ABC News' Polling Director Gary Langer reporting.
12 a.m. Here's where the Democratic primary vote stands so far
Here's a reminder of where the Democratic vote stands at the end of a primary night.
11:43 p.m. Sanders' senior adviser reacts to tonight's losses
Sanders' senior adviser and speechwriter, David Sirota, took to Twitter after what appeared to be a disappointing night so far for the Vermont senator.
Sirota listed "things I'm sad about," including what he said was a setback for Medicare for All, a setback for the Green New Deal and a lack of an endorsement from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
"[Warren] didn't endorse. I wish she did, because she's good & our movement needs her. Still hope she will," he wrote.
Sanders did not speak to the public or address the media as he traveled to Burlington, Vermont.
ABC News' Averi Harper reporting
11:27 p.m. Dems closer than ever to deciding nominee: Analysis
Democrats finally got their head-to-head matchup, and it suddenly looks lopsided... We're still waiting on projections in three states, but it's already clear that Biden has had a huge night, and that Democrats are closer than ever to deciding on their nominee, ABC News Political Director Rick Klein says. Read more of his analysis here.
11:14 p.m. Washington's early votes yielding results for dropout candidates
Because so many people in Washington voted a week ago (or even earlier!), several candidates who have withdrawn from the race are getting a good chunk of votes. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is at 13%, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg 10%, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg 5% and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar 3%. Of course, those numbers will almost certainly drop as more recent ballots are tallied in the coming days.
FiveThirtyEight's Elections Analyst Nathaniel Rakich reporting
11:10 p.m. ABC News projects Trump wins Idaho
Based on an analysis of the vote, ABC News projects that Trump will win the Idaho primary.
11:09 p.m. Biden addresses coronavirus concerns, says 'we need American leadership'
Biden said that tonight's projected wins exemplified that the country is "a step closer to restoring decency, dignity and honor to the White House."
He also took time to address novel coronavirus concerns and the need for American leadership.
"The Governor of Ohio asked the presidential campaigns to cancel their indoor public events in Cleveland, where it's large large crowds of people. And that's what we did, due to the coronavirus. ... This is a matter, this whole coronavirus issue, is a matter of presidential leadership. And later this week I'll be speaking to you on what I believe the nation should be doing to address this virus."
Biden later said that with "so much fear in the country" and "so much fear across the world, we need American leadership."
"We need presidential leadership that's honest, trusted, truthful, and steady -- reassuring leadership. If I'm given the honor of becoming your President, I promise you I'll strive to give the nation that very leadership every day -- every day I have the privilege to hold office," Biden said.
11 p.m. Biden campaign is 'very much alive'
Biden touted his campaign as "very much alive" after projected wins out of Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri.
"To all those who have been knocked down, to all those who have been counted out, left behind this is your campaign," Biden said during a speech in Philadelphia. "Just over a week ago many of the pundits declared that this candidacy was dead. Now we're very much alive."
He did not claim victory, but said "it looks like we're gonna have another good night." Results out of Idaho, North Dakota and Washington state have not yet come out.
"It's more than a comeback. In my view, our campaign, it's a comeback for the soul of this nation," Biden added.
He also took time to thank Sanders and his supporters, saying they share a common goal of beating Trump.
11 p.m. Washington state voters zero in on ability to handle a crisis
As polls close in Washington state, handling a crisis may have been on the minds of voters there, given the new coronavirus outbreak, with an advantage for Biden: They picked him by 46-27% over Sanders in preliminary poll results as best able to handle a major crisis, according to preliminary exit poll results.
Indeed, 38% of Washington voters in initial poll results said they were very concerned about the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, with an additional 44% somewhat concerned. Those who were very concerned voted 52-24% in favor of Biden. Concern was higher among older voters, typically a strong group for Biden.
ABC News' Polling Director Gary Langer reporting.
11 p.m. Meanwhile in Michigan, the vote counting continues
As the results of the primary in Michigan were tabulated, the Secretary of State's office announced that nearly 1 million people voted by mail, almost twice the number of absentee ballots that were cast in the state's 2016 presidential primary.
Further, said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, more than "13,000 people registered and voted today, with over 6,000 doing so after 4:30pm today," noting that many of the individuals who registered today were young voters.
The processing of absentee ballots only began this morning, and given the increase in the number of absentee ballots, juxtaposed to the influx of registering these new voters, the final results will be delayed until tomorrow afternoon.
ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos reporting.
10:54 p.m. Turnout surpasses 2016 levels in Michigan
In Michigan, with 85% of the expected vote in, turnout has surpassed 2016's levels, with 1,444,242 ballots counted in the Democratic primary so far, compared to 1,205,552 ballots cast in 2016.
With 64% of the expected vote reporting in Mississippi, turnout is currently at 208,371 vote, which is 92% of 2016's total.
And in Missouri, with 69% of the expected vote reporting, Democratic primary turnout is at 92% of what it was in 2016, when 629,425 people voted.
Popular vote so far tonight
Joe Biden 1,158,576 (58%)Bernie Sanders 699,045 (35%)Tulsi Gabbard 12,659 (1%)
ABC News' Quinn Scanlan reporting.
10: 51 p.m. HAPPENING NOW: 2020 candidate Joe Biden holds a news conference in Philadelphia
Joe Biden, fresh from projected wins in key states, is holding a news conference in Philadelphia.
