Former US VP Joe Biden claims victory in Illinois, Florida Democratic primaries

Marking the speedy emergence of a potential flagbearer for Democrats in the race for the White House in 2020 elections, the former United States Vice President Joe Biden won with a substantial margin in two more states, Illinois, and Florida on March 17. In a reportedly busy time, as the country fights the pandemic of coronavirus outbreak, Biden defeated the US Senator Bernie Sanders and acquired the top prizes in the primaries. 

The major victories came just a month after the former US VP was struggling to battle against the surging Vermont Senator. Following the string of victories in the high-profile contests and his show of strength on March 17, Biden has now successfully crossed the halfway point in terms of earning a majority of delegates needed to become the Democratic nominee. While expressing his gratitude towards the voters who came out on March 17, Biden said that now he is “one step closer” to the goal of uniting the Democrats and the entire country. 

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Biden won by 62% votes in Florida

With all Florida precincts reporting the primaries, the 77-year-old led the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist by 62 per cent votes. Moreover, in Illinois, Biden was ahead of 59 per cent to 36 per cent with 58 per cent of precincts reporting. In televised remarks, Biden hailed his campaign and said, “our campaign had a very good night”. Biden has repeatedly opposed the “revolution” offered by Sanders and instead has claimed that the Americans want definite results. 

Former US VP added, “We've moved closer to securing the Democratic Party's nomination for president, and we're doing it by building a broad coalition that we need to win in November."

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Meanwhile, the votings have been delayed in Ohio and the polling stations have been closed, marking the upending of the voting schedule by the largest state. March 17 (local time) has also called for a crucial decision from Sanders who has to now choose whether to quit if he fails to score a major upset. 

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