Biden strengthens lead in Democratic race with wins in Michigan and 3 more states

Joe Biden was projected to take Tuesday night's biggest primary prize Michigan along with decisive wins in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho, dealing an early blow to rival Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on a night when six states were up for grabs.

Celebrating his early victories, he told supportersnear his Philadelphia campaign headquarters, it was "another good night" and "a step closer to restoring decency, dignity and honour to the White House."

In a subdued tone, Biden reached out to supporters of struggling rival Bernie Sanders, thanking the Vermont senator and his following "for their tireless energy and their passion" and their common goal: to "beat Donald Trump."

Back in 2016, Sanders scored an upset that lent much-needed credibility to his 2016 primary challenge of Hillary Clinton and where U.S. President Donald Trump's victory four years was so narrow that Democrats are desperate to show they have the strength to flip it back.

But Bidenmade a final push there in recent days, rallying autoworkers and touting a fresh round of high-profile endorsements.

Early Wednesday morning, Sanders was declared the winner of North Dakota's caucuses, while the result in the state of Washington is undetermined.

According to an Associated Press analysis, Biden had picked up at least 153 new delegates: 53 in Michigan, 40 in Missouri, 29 in Mississippi, five in North Dakota, 17 in Washington and nine in Idaho on Tuesday. Sanders got 89: 35 in Michigan, 23 in Missouri, two in Mississippi, seven in Idaho, five in North Dakota and 17 in Washington.

Although six states voted, Michigan, with its 125 delegates, got most of the attention. Trump won the state by only 10,704 votes during the 2016 general election, his closest margin of victory among Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Those states gave Trump the narrow edge in the 2016 Electoral College after Clinton won the popular vote.

Adding to the tension of incoming results was fears about the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Both Sanders and Biden hastily cancelled events they'd scheduled for Tuesday night in Cleveland, and the Democratic National Committee announced that an upcoming debate in Phoenix on Sunday would be held without a live audience "at the request of both campaigns and out of an abundance of caution."

Tuesday marked the first time voters weighed in on the Democratic contest since it effectively narrowed to a two-person race between Sanders and Biden. It was a test of whether Sanders can broaden his appeal among African Americans after earlier setbacks in the South. Biden, meanwhile, sought to show that he can keep momentum going after his surprise Super Tuesday turnaround.

Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard remains in the race, but has only two delegates so far. She has not qualified for the Sunday debate.

Biden now frequently ticks off the names of six former presidential rivals who have endorsed him just in the past week, saying he is "the candidate that they think can win." The former vice-president has campaigned in recent days with two of them, Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, and appeared with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. All three have have been mentioned as possible vice presidential picks.

Following Biden's strong showing Tuesday night, former candidate Andrew Yang also added his name to the Biden endorsement list.

Battleground Michigan

Sanders visited polling stations in Detroit on Tuesday, scrounging for late-breaking supporters. He's said he's now battling the "Democratic establishment" and scoffed at suggestions that so much of the party's elite supporting his opponent means Biden is more electable.

"In a general election, which candidate can generate the enthusiasm and the excitement and the voter turnout we need?" Sanders asked. "If you want to defeat Trump, which all Democrats do and the majority of independents do and some Republicans do, we are that campaign."

Democrats in Idaho used a primary system for the first time. They had a caucus in 2016 to pick Sanders over Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nominee, but on Tuesday Biden won in a state in which 20 delegates are at stake.

In Washington state, all votes are cast by mail or by dropping them off in a ballot box, and the state counts a significant amount on the day of the election.

In the first batch of results released late Tuesday night, Sanders and Biden wereessentially tied with each claiming about 33 per cent of the roughly one million counted votes.

Most counties in Washington state will next provide an update about their results Wednesday.

Sanders won Democratic presidential caucuses in North Dakota, a state he dominated in the 2016 nominee contest against Clinton.The state offers 14 pledged delegates.