At just after 9 p.m. on election night, the Associated Press declared Joe Biden the winner of the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Biden has won Washtenaw County with 47.6% of the vote, leading Sanders who has 45%. Sanders underperformed here compared to 2016, when he beat Clinton by about 12 percentage points in the county.
Biden is also doing very well in Kent County, home of Grand Rapids. With over half of precincts reporting, Biden is in the lead by about 1,500 votes. In 2016, Sanders carried the county against Clinton by over 17,000 votes.
Tonight’s results were starkly different from those of 2016. Sanders won Michigan by 1.5 points then, and he carried the vast majority of rural counties in the state. This year, Biden was a clear favorite in rural counties. As of 1 a.m., Sanders is only leading in one county.
Biden has also been declared the winner in Mississippi and Missouri. The wins come after Biden’s impressive showing in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday, when his campaign was catapulted back to frontrunner status.
Biden’s wins on “Super Tuesday 2” tonight have solidified his frontrunner status, and some Democrats are calling for Sanders to exit the race or for the DNC to cancel future debates, including House Majority Whip James Clyburn, a key endorsement for Biden’s campaign.
There are still 31 states and territories that have yet to vote, and primary elections will continue to be held through June 6.
The rest of the results in Michigan will continue to come in throughout the night.
