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The race to win the Democratic presidential nomination in the US has narrowed down to a two-way contest between former vice president Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, as the two leaders clinched major victories during the "Super Tuesday" primaries , the most important day in the fight for the White House.
The "Super Tuesday", or March 3 presidential primaries, were held in as many as 15 states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
Biden, 77, registered impressive victories in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Arkansas, propelling him as the frontrunner in the primaries.
However, Sanders, 78, by winning big in the State of California -- which sends 415 pledge delegates -- reflected the fight to win Democratic nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Donald Trump was not over yet.
The senator also won his home state of Vermont in addition to Utah, and Colorado. He and Biden were in a close race in Maine and Texas. But it is virtually end of the race for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren after she badly lost her own home state to Biden.
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, a late entrant in this race, too failed to make a dent as he won the American Samoa caucus. He reportedly spent USD 500 million in the campaign so far. However, early results from California showed that he was trailing behind winner Sanders but ahead of presumptive front-runner Biden.
“The biggest loser tonight, by far, is Mini Mike Bloomberg. His “political” consultants took him for a ride,” President Donald Trump said in a tweet.
Trump has decisively won the Republican primary.
“USD 700 million washed down the drain, and he got nothing for it but the nickname Mini Mike, and the complete destruction of his reputation. Way to go Mike!” Trump said.
“Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren, other than Mini Mike, was the loser of the night. She didn't even come close to winning her home state of Massachusetts. Well, now she can just sit back with her husband and have a nice cold beer!” Trump said in another tweet.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu to enter the House of Representatives, and whose presidential ambition has failed to take off, won her first pledged delegate in American Samoa.
With the results of major states of Texas and California, Biden was leading the pledged delegate count with 327 as against 218 by Sanders.
Either of the candidates need at least 1991 of the 3,979 pledged delegates to win the presidential nomination of the Democratic party.
On Super Tuesday, 1,357 pledged delegates were at stake.
Sanders's Campaign is hoping that their big win in California will help them bridge the gap of pledged delegates with Biden.
Addressing his supporters in Los Angeles, Biden told his supporters that momentum is on his side.
“The press and the pundits declared us dead -- but tonight has made clear that we are very much alive,” he said and urged his countrymen to join his campaign.
“It's a good night and it seems to be getting even better,” he said.
“We're building the campaign that can unite the party and beat Donald Trump -- but we need your help to do it,” said Biden, who appears to be successful in his third attempt at the race to the White House.
Senator Sanders on the other hand exuded confidence he will win the Democratic presidential nomination and finally the November elections.
“Tonight, I can tell you with absolute confidence we're going to win the Democratic nomination and we're going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of this country,” Sanders said.
Brad Parscale, Trump 2020 campaign manager, said that the Democratic presidential results only increase the likelihood that no candidate will have enough delegates for a first ballot victory at their convention, which only means more chaos.
“The media is hyperventilating about Joe Biden but everyone should remember that he is just as terrible a candidate right now as he was a few days ago. At the same time, establishment Democrats have ganged up to try to deny Bernie Sanders the nomination, which is causing even more mayhem,” Parscale said.