Former Vice President Joe Biden has won Washington’s presidential primary, further cementing his status as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
As of Monday afternoon, Biden led with nearly 38 per cent of the statewide vote, compared with about 36 per cent for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
There was a gap of 23,000 votes.
Biden’s lead had expanded since the two rivals ended election night March 10 in a virtual tie.
The delayed victory – which came amid record turnout for a Washington presidential primary – means Biden won five of the six states that voted March 10.
In addition to Washington, he won Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri.
Sanders won North Dakota.
Washington has 89 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention at stake – the second most of any state that voted last week.
It’s not a winner-take-all system, and the delegate breakdown between Biden and Sanders will depend on results from the state’s 10 congressional districts.
Will Casey, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party, said the party would know the delegate split once the election is certified next week.
In a statement, the Biden campaign said, “Washingtonians sent a message to the rest of the country: This is the campaign that will send Donald Trump packing.”
(dpa/NAN)