Former Vice President Joe Biden has clinched a victory in Florida, per Decision Desk. The Sunshine State holds 219 delegates, making it the biggest player in Tuesday’s primaries. Biden entered Tuesday’s contest ahead of his last real opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) by 154 delegates.
NEW: @ABC News can project that @JoeBiden has won the Democratic primary in the state of Florida, the biggest delegate prize of the night
— Johnny Verhovek (@JTHVerhovek) March 18, 2020
Biden currently holds a 38-point lead over @BernieSanders in initial returns from the state
Thank you, Florida! https://t.co/i0x0LE5xhs
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) March 18, 2020
Joe Biden is the projected winner in the state of Florida, according to our projections
— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) March 18, 2020
He's on track net-100 delegates or more, essentially canceling every Sanders victory so far in the race
NEW: @ABC News can project that @JoeBiden has won the Democratic primary in the state of Florida, the biggest delegate prize of the night
— Johnny Verhovek (@JTHVerhovek) March 18, 2020
Biden currently holds a 38-point lead over @BernieSanders in initial returns from the state
The former vice president’s victory is not entirely surprising, although his win was certainly elevated by Sen. Sanders’ rhetoric surrounding former authoritarian leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro.
The contest for the Democratic nomination is essentially over, but it remains to be seen whether or not Sen. Sanders will exit the race promptly. On the debate stage on Sunday, Sen. Sanders pledged to support the former vice president if he clinched the nomination. At this point, the path to victory for Sen. Sanders is virtually non-existent.