Super Tuesday: Joe Biden surges ahead nationwide as Mike Bloomberg drops out of race

The former vice president's campaign was buoyed by recent endorsements and a big win in South Carolina last week

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a Super Tuesday campaign event at Baldwin Hills Recreation Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Former Vice President Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, right, watches as his wife Jill Biden, center, blocks a protester from arriving on stage during an primary night rally in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. Bloomberg

Lifeguard Erik Wylie, 43, votes at a polling station on Super Tuesday in Los Angeles, California, U.S. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Democratic Presidential hopeful Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (L) poses with supporters during a rally in Detroit, Michigan at the Detroit Kitchen Connect on Super Tuesday. AFP

Poll workers turn in electronic Pod Pads at the El Paso County Court House in El Paso, Texas. AFP

Voters cast ballots at a polling station in San Francisco, California, U.S. Bloomberg

Voters cast ballots at a polling station in San Francisco, California, U.S. Bloomberg

Attendees hold signs during a primary night rally for former Vice President Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. Bloomberg

A woman lines up to vote at a polling station on Super Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. REUTERS

Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders cheer as they hear election results during a watch party held at Central Machine Works Brewery in Austin, Texas on Super Tuesday. AFP

A supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders looks at a map of results on Super Tuesday in Denver, Colorado. AFP

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders is accompanied by his wife Jane as he arrives to speak at his Super Tuesday night rally in Essex Junction, Vermont, U.S. REUTERS

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren makes a heart gesture as she addresses supporters at her Super Tuesday night rally in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. REUTERS

Super Tuesday marked a nationwide success for former vice president Joe Biden as he was projected to win in nine states out of 15 contests, securing more than 300 delegates in the Democratic Party primary and an endorsement from billionaire Mike Bloomberg who pulled out of the race on Wednesday.

A total of 1,991 delegates are needed to secure the nomination and the successful candidate will run against US President Donald Trump in the November presidential election.

Results from Maine have yet to be announced, with the race being too tight to call. But Mr Biden's rival Bernie Sanders seized the biggest prize with a win in California that ensured he - and his embrace of democratic socialism - would drive the Democrats' nomination fight for the foreseeable future.

Suddenly, the Democratic Party's presidential field, which featured more than a half-dozen candidates a week ago, transformed into a two-man contest.

Mr Bloomberg announced his departure from the race after a disappointing finish on Super Tuesday.

His exit ended a novel electoral strategy, a vast experiment in political advertising, as Mr Bloomberg, 78, skipped the four early-voting states and instead focused on the 14-state Super Tuesday contest. His only victory on Tuesday came in the US territory of American Samoa.

Endorsing Mr Biden, Mr Bloomberg said: "I will work to make him the next president of the United States."

His media company, Bloomberg News, lifted its election coverage restrictions hours after his announcement.

Mr Biden surged ahead and is projected to win in states including Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Arkansas.

He is also expected to stage an upset in Massachusetts, the home state of Elizabeth Warren, marking a significant loss for her campaign. Early results showed Ms Warren in danger of finishing third in her state.

North Carolina, Virginia and Massachusetts would signal big wins for Mr Biden, as together they amount to 300 delegates.

In addition, the key state of Texas, which represents 228 delegates, went to Mr Biden after a tight race against Mr Sanders.

On the eve of Super Tuesday, a number of endorsements were made in Texas by former candidates Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O'Rourke, who all pledged their support to Mr Biden.

He was also endorsed by Senator Tim Kaine, the 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate, and former Virginia governor Terry McCaullife.

Progressive candidate Mr Sanders is expected to win in his home state of Vermont, in addition to Colorado and Utah.

Mr Sanders’ biggest victory is expected to be in California, with AP projecting he would win the state soon after polls closed.

However, the final results from California were delayed due to long voting lines and the state's mail-in voting policy.

California awards 415 delegates, the largest number available on Super Tuesday. In the build-up to the vote, Mr Sanders invested heavily in California, setting up 22 campaign offices in the state, compared to Mr Biden’s single California office.

Mr Biden, the biggest winner of the night, gave a fired-up speech from Los Angeles celebrating his victories, and trying to unify the party.

“Our campaign reflects the diversity of this party and this nation and that’s how it should be,” he said.

Two “anti-dairy” protesters interrupted the speech as Mr Biden was speaking.

But Mr Biden's closest rival Bernie Sanders was nowhere near conceding the race. In a defiant speech from Vermont, Mr Sanders blasted Mr Biden's record and insisted he was the better candidate to defeat Mr Trump.

He criticised Mr Biden's position on trade and for voting for the Iraq war.

"One of us in this race led the opposition to the war in Iraq – you're looking at him. Another candidate voted for the war in Iraq."

Mr Sanders later admitted that he was "disappointed" by Tuesday evening's results and said he was falling short in inspiring young people to vote.

“Of course I’m disappointed,” told a news conference at his campaign office in Burlington, Vermont. “I would like to win every state by a landslide. It’s not going to happen.”

Speaking about the youth vote, he said: “Have we been as successful as I would hope in bringing young people in? And the answer is no.”

The states voting were Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia, as well as US territory American Samoa.

Together, they account for 1,357 delegates, and a candidate is required to secure the support of 1,991 delegates to win the nomination.

Voter turnout in Texas was hit by coronavirus fears while power cuts left some California voters in the dark.

Meanwhile, a powerful tornado disrupted voting across stretches of Tennessee. Polling stations in three counties in the state suffered extreme damage and voters were redirected to cast their ballot at other locations within the state.

A judge extended voting hours in the Nashville area after four Democratic candidates sued to keep Super Tuesday polls open after the tornado damage.

Before Tuesday evening, Mr Sanders led the delegate count with 56, while Mr Biden was in the second place with 48.

Only a week ago, the former vice president’s campaign appeared to have run out of steam.

But he was buoyed by a big win in South Carolina on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night to mock rival Mr Bloomberg for eating doughnuts and licking his fingers on the campaign trail.