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| Biden crushes Sanders in Florida and Illinois primaries | Biden crushes Sanders in Florida and Illinois primaries |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has steamrolled rival Bernie Sanders in primary elections in Florida and Illinois, US media project. | Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has steamrolled rival Bernie Sanders in primary elections in Florida and Illinois, US media project. |
| Accelerating his momentum in the race, the former US vice-president led Mr Sanders in both states by wide margins. | Accelerating his momentum in the race, the former US vice-president led Mr Sanders in both states by wide margins. |
| Arizona was also voting on Tuesday, though its polls have not yet closed. | Arizona was also voting on Tuesday, though its polls have not yet closed. |
| Mr Biden is the favourite to become the Democratic candidate who will face President Donald Trump in November. | Mr Biden is the favourite to become the Democratic candidate who will face President Donald Trump in November. |
| The former US vice-president is hoping to build an unassailable lead in the race for the Democratic leadership after scoring victories in 16 of the last 21 state contests. | The former US vice-president is hoping to build an unassailable lead in the race for the Democratic leadership after scoring victories in 16 of the last 21 state contests. |
| Will Joe Biden's record come back to haunt him? | Will Joe Biden's record come back to haunt him? |
| According to opinion polling, most Florida voters said electability was a priority for them. | According to opinion polling, most Florida voters said electability was a priority for them. |
| About three in four said Mr Biden would have a better chance of beating Mr Trump, a Republican. Just one in five said the same of Mr Sanders. | About three in four said Mr Biden would have a better chance of beating Mr Trump, a Republican. Just one in five said the same of Mr Sanders. |
| Older voters were more likely to say they supported Mr Biden. | Older voters were more likely to say they supported Mr Biden. |
| Nearly half of Florida's voters said Mr Sanders' stances were too liberal. | Nearly half of Florida's voters said Mr Sanders' stances were too liberal. |
| Florida was the biggest prize of the night, awarding 219 of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. | Florida was the biggest prize of the night, awarding 219 of the 1,991 delegates needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. |
| Mr Trump won the traditional battleground state by 1.2 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election. | Mr Trump won the traditional battleground state by 1.2 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election. |
| Has Bernie Sanders reacted? | |
| Mr Sanders hosted an online address from Washington DC, but he did not refer to the primaries, nor did he drop any hints about the future of his campaign. | |
| He instead focused on the coronavirus crisis, outlining proposals to address the pandemic, which he said would cost some $2tn. | |
| One of his campaign officials said the candidate was not expected to speak publicly again on Tuesday night. | |
| What about President Trump? | |
| Also on Tuesday night, the US president officially clinched the Republican party nomination with a win in the Illinois primary. | |
| His victory had been a foregone conclusion in a contest where he faced only nominal opposition from a former Massachusetts Governor, Bill Weld. | |
| Illinois' delegates drove Mr Trump over the 1,276-delegate threshold required to become the party's standard-bearer. | |
| Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel congratulated the president on Twitter for "officially becoming the presumptive Republican nominee". | |
| How is the coronavirus affecting voting? | |
| Ohio was also due to hold a primary on Tuesday, but it cancelled the vote because of the nationwide coronavirus outbreak. | Ohio was also due to hold a primary on Tuesday, but it cancelled the vote because of the nationwide coronavirus outbreak. |
| Voters in the three states that did head to polling stations on Tuesday encountered hand sanitiser dispensers and workers in surgical gloves. | Voters in the three states that did head to polling stations on Tuesday encountered hand sanitiser dispensers and workers in surgical gloves. |
| Several other states have postponed their Democratic presidential primaries, including Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and Kentucky. | Several other states have postponed their Democratic presidential primaries, including Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and Kentucky. |
| The Democratic National Committee has urged the remaining primary states not to postpone their voting. | The Democratic National Committee has urged the remaining primary states not to postpone their voting. |
| Party grandees are encouraging the states to extend postal and early voting to reduce public exposure to the respiratory illness. | Party grandees are encouraging the states to extend postal and early voting to reduce public exposure to the respiratory illness. |
| Read more on Joe Biden | Read more on Joe Biden |