Updates
(33)What you need to know about Tuesday's primaries
Joe Biden made a clean sweep today with projected wins in Florida, Illinois and Arizona.
Here’s what happened today:
- Big night for Biden: Biden led in polls in both Illinois and Florida, where the most delegates are at stake. The victories in Arizona, Florida and Illinois will allow him to substantially expand his delegate lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as they vie for the Democratic nomination.
- Biden calls for unity: During a speech tonight, Biden said his goal is to unify the Democratic Party, and then to unify the nation. “You know, it’s in moments like these we realize we need to put politics aside and work together as Americans,” Biden said. “The coronavirus doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican.”
- Sanders faces new uncertainty following losses: The Vermont senator spoke early and ignored the election results in remarks to supporters on tonight, instead making a live-streamed speech on the coronavirus crisis. Sanders’ campaign faces serious questions about its future, with one adviser telling CNN’s Jeff Zeleny that the senator must weigh whether staying in the race is the best way to keep his movement alive.
- New polling measures taken due to coronavirus: Some polling stations practiced social distancing and employed a one-in, one-out policy, while others ordered voters to stay 6 feet apart. In Arizona, voters got hand sanitizer immediately, before entering one polling place.
Biden wins Arizona, CNN projects
Joe Biden will win Arizona, CNN projects, making it his third win of the night.
Earlier tonight, CNN projected Biden will win Florida and Illinois.
There are 67 delegates at stake in Arizona.
Who won in 2016: Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary, and Donald Trump won the Republican primary.
Watch:
Nearly half of Arizona voters say health care is the most important issue, CNN poll shows
Almost half of Democratic primary voters in Arizona say that health care is the most important issue in deciding who to support for the Democratic nomination, according to preliminary CNN primary polling.
Fewer, but still a plurality, said they prioritize health care in Florida and Illinois, with a little more than 4 in 10 voters saying so in each state.
Around 2 in 10 Arizona voters said income inequality mattered most to their vote, and 2 in 10 said climate change. Around the same said climate change was important in choosing who they supported in Illinois, but only around 1 in 10 said so in Florida.
Around 3 in 10 voters in Illinois named income inequality as the most important issue to their vote, and around 2 in 10 voters said the same in Florida.
In all three states, less than 1 in 10 voters said race relations was the most important issue in deciding who to support.
Majority of primary voters support replacing private health insurance with a government plan, CNN poll shows
A majority of Democratic primary voters in Arizona, Florida and Illinois said they support replacing private health insurance with a government plan, according to CNN preliminary polling.
Around 6 in 10 voters said they support the replacement — a number that was in line with Democratic voters who have already gone to the polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Maine, Minnesota, Texas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington.
Vermont stands as the state with the highest support for private insurance so far, with 73% supporting it, and South Carolina has the lowest, with 49% in support.
Plurality of Democratic primary voters prioritize a candidate who can unite the country, CNN poll finds
A plurality of Democratic primary voters on Tuesday said they prioritize nominating a candidate who can unite the country, according to a preliminary CNN Primary Poll.
Around 4 in 10 voters said so in Arizona, while a third of voters each said so in Florida and Illinois.
A quarter of candidates across all three states voting Tuesday said they prefer a candidate who can bring about needed change.
And around a quarter of voters in Florida and Illinois also want a nominee who cares about people like them, while slightly fewer voters in Arizona said they prioritize that quality.
When it comes to temperament, around 1 in 6 voters in Arizona and Florida say they want a candidate with the right one, while around 1 in 10 say so in Illinois.
Biden to Sanders supporters: "I hear you. I know what’s at stake."
Joe Biden attempted to appeal to supporters of Bernie Sanders after the former vice president picked up more primary wins on Tuesday.
“Senator Sanders and I may disagree on tactics, but we share a common vision,” Biden said in a livestream from Wilmington, Delaware. He cited providing affordable health care for all Americans, reducing income inequality and combating climate change.
“Senator Sanders and his supporters have brought a remarkable passion and tenacity to all of these issues,” Biden said. “Together, they have shifted the fundamental conversation in this country.”
Biden said his goal is to unify the Democratic Party, and then to unify the nation.
“You know, it’s in moments like these we realize we need to put politics aside and work together as Americans,” Biden said. “The coronavirus doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican.”
Biden speaks about coronavirus concerns after projected wins: "We're all in this together"
Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed concerns over the coronavirus outbreak via livestream after his projected wins in Illinois and Florida.
He also spoke briefly of his wins, saying, “Our campaign has had a very good night.”
“We moved closer to securing the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, and we’re doing it by building a broad coalition that we need to win in November,” Biden said.
Watch:
Three key voting groups again power Biden to projected primary win in Illinois, CNN poll shows
Democratic voters over 65, moderates, and black voters powered former Vice President Joe Biden’s projected Democratic primary win in Illinois, according to CNN’s preliminary primary polling.
Those same groups of voters carried Biden to his projected win over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Florida Tuesday night.
Biden’s gains were also reflected among voters who only wanted minor — as opposed to major — changes to the economic system in the US, who were opposed to a single payer health care system, and those who preferred to nominate a candidate who could unite the country.
And where Biden won, Sanders lost his following from 2016.
In 2016, Sanders was barely edged out by Hillary Clinton in the Illinois primary, with the Vermont senator carrying young voters, white voters, and liberals. Sanders, for example, saw a significant loss among white voters on Tuesday, capturing the backing of just about a quarter of white voters compared to 57% of those voters in 2016.
Sanders faces new uncertainty following losses
Bernie Sanders’ fight for the presidency may not be over, but his campaign almost certainly is.
A critical question facing Sanders: Must he keep his campaign alive for his movement to survive?
The Vermont senator is tightening his circle, aides say, with perhaps only he and his wife, Jane, involved in the final decision making. Almost no one else knows what he will do — and when.
If the coronavirus pandemic was not escalating — and the country was not gripped by uncertainty — advisers have no doubt Sanders would stay in the race for its duration, intent on holding Joe Biden’s feet to the progressive fire on a series of policies.
The timing of Sanders’ decision may be unknown, but the fate of his candidacy is not.
Biden wins Illinois, CNN projects
Joe Biden will win Illinois, CNN projects, marking his second win of the night.
Earlier tonight, CNN projected Biden will win Florida, which has 215 delegates.
There are 155 delegates at stake in Illinois tonight.
Who won in 2016: Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary, and Donald Trump won the Republican primary.
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Trump earns enough delegates to win Republican nomination, CNN projects
As expected, Donald Trump has earned enough delegates needed to win the Republican nomination for president with a projected win in Illinois.
Voters over 65, moderates and black voters carried Biden to his projected Florida win, CNN poll shows
Voters over the age of 65, moderates and black voters carried former Vice President Joe Biden to his projected primary win in Florida, according to the CNN Primary Poll.
Those voting groups supported Biden in high numbers, with more than three-quarters in each backing the former vice president in the primary fight against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Sunshine State voters who said they preferred a candidate who would unite the country, those who oppose a single payer health care system and voters who want a nominee that can beat Trump also supported Biden on Tuesday.
In 2016, Sanders lost Florida to Hillary Clinton. Some groups Sanders performed well with in 2016, such as white men and independents, didn’t follow him in 2020. In 2016, 52% of white men supported Sanders for the nomination while only a quarter did so in 2020 – slightly more than 6 in 10 voting for Biden.
In 2020, half of independent Democratic voters in Florida supported Biden for the nomination. That’s a flip from 2016, when 55% of voters in the state backed Sanders.
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Here's where the delegate count stands
With Joe Biden’s win in Florida, CNN projects that at this time he is leading Bernie Sanders in the delegate count. The delegate count currently stands at 912-712.
Remember: The Democratic candidate needs 1,991 delegates to win the nomination.
CNN’s David Chalian noted that by his calculation that means Biden only needs 47.9% of the remaining delegates to reach that number. Sanders, on the other hand, will need to win 56.8 percent of the remaining delegates.
Here are all the states Biden has won so far
CNN just projected Joe Biden will win Florida, making it the 17th state that he’s won so far during the primaries.
Here are the other states:
Biden wins Florida, CNN projects
Joe Biden will win Florida, CNN projects.
There are 219 delegates at stake in the Sunshine State. Florida is the biggest prize of the night.
Who won in 2016: Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary, and Donald Trump won the Republican primary.
Watch:
Social distancing rules are being encouraged at polling places in Chicago
At a Chicago polling place near Wrigley Field, Margaret Croke, a first-time candidate running for state representative, held one of her campaign signs with gloved hands, keeping a healthy distance from voters.
Normally, Croke would have been handing out campaign literature for voters to read as they waited. But with the spread of COVID-19, she wasn’t taking any chances — just one of many adjustments, small and large, to accommodate an election Tuesday amid a worsening pandemic.
Her opponent, State Rep. Yoni Pizer, went even further, deciding in the final days of the campaign to forgo public events altogether. Outside of the polling place, notes taped to his campaign signs explained “why we’re not here.”
But some voters did show up to vote in person even as restaurants, bars and schools in Illinois closed and state officials urged people to limit their trips outside of their homes. By Tuesday afternoon, the line outside of the polling place stretched for blocks, as poll workers enforced a one-in, one-out policy to encourage distancing inside.
“I decided to come out to vote today because it’s my civic duty to do so as an American,” said Art Garcia, who works at a hospital in the area.
Rachel Tarr, 28, said she felt comfortable with the precautions being taken for voters, including poll workers wearing gloves, and availability of hand sanitizer and wipes.
“I thought they did a good job,” Tarr said.
But the process did not run smoothly everywhere. In suburban Chicago, election judge Kim Inman arrived at her polling place Tuesday to find that the hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes promised by Cook County officials had not arrived. Meanwhile, the precinct was operating with just half its election judges, after some had dropped out “due to sickness or fear,” Inman said.
By the afternoon, however, voters had stepped in — donating their own Wet Wipes and travel-sized hand sanitizer to the polling place.
Watch:
There’s a widespread concern among Illinois primary voters about the effects of coronavirus
Preliminary findings from a CNN Primary Poll in Illinois finds widespread concern about the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, with many worried about the direction of the nation’s economy in the next year.
A majority of Democratic primary voters in the state say they are very concerned about the effects of the virus, and nearly 9 in 10 say they are at least somewhat concerned about it.
About half say they are very worried about the direction the nation’s economy could take, a figure that rises to almost 6 in 10 among those who are deeply concerned about the virus’ effects.
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Sanders calls for $2 trillion package to deal with coronavirus
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders focused an address he gave on election night entirely on responding to the coronavirus outbreak, including proposals he plans to introduce to Democratic leadership to tackle the crisis.
“This is an unprecedented moment that will require an unprecedented amount of money,” Sanders said via livestream from Washington, DC, where the Senate is in session this week. He added that it will take “$2 trillion to prevent deaths, job losses and to avoid an economic catastrophe.”
Among those proposals, Sanders said Medicare should be empowered to cover all medical bills and called for using existing emergency authority under the Defense Production Act to dramatically scale production in the US for masks, ventilators and medical equipment.
He also asked supporters to reach out with suggestions for proposals.
“In every state there is a different level of crisis,” Sanders said. “In every occupation, a different level of concern.”
Sanders said there would be more details about the proposals posted on his campaign website tomorrow.
Majority of Democratic primary voters prioritize a candidate who can beat Trump
Voters in the three states hosting elections today are no different than their predecessors in the primary so far on at least one score: Majorities in all three prioritize nominating a candidate who can beat President Donald Trump over one who agrees with them on the issues.
About two-thirds in Arizona and Florida say so, as do about 6 in 10 in Illinois. That’s right about on par with the overall share across all states where exit, entrance or primary polls have been conducted so far.
In Arizona, a state widely expected to be a battleground in November, about 7 in 10 say they are angry about the Trump administration, slightly higher than the roughly two-thirds who say so in Illinois and the 6 in 10 who feel the same way in Florida.
Around a quarter in Arizona are dissatisfied with the Trump administration, a third in Florida, and a quarter in Illinois. One in 10 or less are enthusiastic or satisfied with the administration.
Joe Biden will deliver election remarks via livestream
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will deliver primary election night remarks via livestream Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, according to campaign statement.
