Fourteen states and one U.S. territory are hosting Super Tuesday primary elections, a flurry that could bring more clarity about which Democratic presidential contender voters prefer to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in November.
It's the day when the primary moves from retail to wholesale. Instead of one state voting at a time, candidates have to focus on contests in every region of the country with all types of voters. Although Super Tuesday was originally created as a regional primary featuring Southern states, it has morphed over the years. This year, it includes states from every region of the country.
More than a third of delegates will be doled out in Tuesday's nominating contests, compared with less than 5% awarded from the four states voting in February. A candidate needs at least 1,991 delegates to the party's national convention in July to win the Democratic nomination outright.
The race is increasingly seen as a contest between Biden and Sanders, with the former in the moderate lane and the latter a left-wing insurgent. The votes will test U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' front-runner status after wins in New Hampshire and Nevada and a near-tie in Iowa. Former Vice President Joe Biden will look to build on the momentum from his big South Carolina victory and become the leading moderate alternative to Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist from Vermont.
On the eve of Super Tuesday, three of Biden's rivals who quit the race, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg and Beto O'Rourke threw their support behind him, which Biden hopes will fuel his momentum. Biden's comeback in South Carolina, after poor showings in other early voting states, was exactly the kind of a victory that Democratic party officials, alarmed that front-runner U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is far too liberal to beat Trump, had been craving, according to more than two dozen people who either gave their endorsements or were involved behind the scenes.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be on ballots for the first time, potentially further splintering votes in a field that has narrowed to five candidates.