The tumultuous primary season only intensified March 3 as voters in 14 states and one territory went to the polls to make their choices for the Democratic candidate who'll face off against incumbent President Donald Trump in November, among other races.
The Democrats' electoral landscape was significantly reconfigured a few days before, as centrist candidates Pete Buttigieg—the first openly LGBT Democratic presidential candidate—and Sen. Amy Klobuchar both withdrew from the race and gave their endorsements to Joe Biden. Biden, basking in a first-place victory in the South Carolina primary, was able to seize the media's "momentum" narrative from Sen. Bernie Sanders and went on to primary victories in several states March 3.
Besides Biden and Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard were all competing for the Democratic nomination March 3.
While the Super Tuesday was hyped by the media and political campaigns as a pivoting-point, its true impact on the election likely won't be determined until well after March 3. The endgame in presidential primary contests is accumulating pledged convention delegates, and determining those is sometimes a more convoluted process than counting votes, particularly in populous states such as California, which was in play Super Tuesday.
As Windy City Times went to press the evening of March 3 ( following results on Politico and CNN ), the following results were in:
—Alabama: Biden readily won the state with 62.4 percent of the vote, followed by Sanders ( 16.9 percent ), Michael Bloomberg ( 12.3 percent ) and Warren ( 5.6 percent ). Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared poised to win the Republican primary to compete for his old U.S. Senate seat; among Sessions' opponents was anti-LGBT activist judge Roy Moore.
—Arkansas: Biden led with 35.8 percent of the vote, followed by Sanders ( 20.9 percent ), Bloomberg ( 19.2 percent ) and Warren ( 12.6 percent ). Buttigieg nevertheless had 6.4 percent of the vote, presumably thanks to early voting.
—California: The AP projected Bernie Sanders as the winner of the state with the most delegates (415) as of 10:18 p.m. CT.
—Colorado: Sanders won with about 36 percent of the vote, followed by Bloomberg ( 22.7 percent, Biden ( 21.3 percent ), Warren ( 17.2 percent ) and Gabbard ( 1.2 percent ).
—Maine: Biden ( 34.1 percent ) etched out a narrow lead ahead of Sanders ( 33.3 percent ). They were followed by Warren ( 16 percent ) and Bloomberg ( 11.7 percent ).
—Massachusetts: Warren came in third in her home state, capturing just 11.5 percent of the vote there. Biden won, followed by Sanders (27.3 percent), Warren and Bloomberg and Buttigieg. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, a Republican, mounted a primary challenge against Trump, but he was trounced by the incumbent president, receiving only 9 percent of the vote in his home state.
—Minnesota: Biden won Klobuchar's home state with 38.2 percent of the vote; he was followed by Sanders ( 30.2 percent ), Warren ( 15.8 percent ) and Bloomberg ( 8.3 percent ).
—North Carolina: Biden led with 41.6 percent of the vote, followed by Sanders ( 23.9 percent ), Bloomberg ( 13.5 percent ) and Warren ( 10.5 percent ). Two transgender individuals are competing for legislator positions in the Tarheel State for the first time.
—Oklahoma: Biden was called the projected winner in The Sooner State shortly after 9 p.m. CT. With 76 percent of the vote in, Biden had 38.2 percent of the vote.
—Tennessee: Voters in some areas of this state had an unusual obstacle in the form of several tornadoes that took the lives of almost two dozen people, at last report. However, Biden was credited with the win, with 42.5 percent of the vote with 68 percent of all ballots counted.
—Texas: Biden may have gotten most of the Southern states on Super Tuesday, but the biggest prize in that region—Texas, with 15.3 million registered voters, including 858,000 LGBTQ individuals—went to Sanders.
—Utah: Sanders was the project winner in Utah. With 62 percent of the vote in, Sanders had 32 percent of the vote, with Michael Bloomberg second, at 19 percent.
—Vermont: To no one's surprise, Sanders secured a win in his home state, garnering 16 delegates. Elizabeth Warren, Sanders' progressive rival from Massachusetts, took second.
—Virginia: Biden scored a big win in this state, giving him 99 delegates. This victory relatively early in the night suggested he is enjoying genuine political momentum after his huge South Carolina primary win on Feb. 29.
—American Samoa: This unincorporated U.S. territory held a caucus. On March 2, Samoan chief Fa'alagiga Nina Tua'au-Glaude endorsed Bloomberg for president—and this became the billionaire's only win of the night.
Note: Results will be updated March 4.
