Former US VP Joe Biden wins Democratic primary in Washington state with 37.9% vote

In another boost for the Democratic frontrunner, the United States media has projected that former US Vice President Joe Biden has won the Democratic primary in Washington state. In a bid to maintain a significant lead from his opponent US Senator Bernie Sanders, Biden was declared a winner by narrow votes. Most of the counting was done by American media outlets by the night of March 16 (local time). 

Both Biden and Sanders are now presidential hopefuls for Democrats and demand a chance to challenge the Republican US President Donald Trump in November elections. The reports have said that Biden had won 37.9 per cent of the vote, while self-proclaimed Democratic socialist got 36.4 per cent. The results were announced as millions of reportedly anxious Americans went out to polling stations amid the rising scare of deadly coronavirus outbreak which has claimed over 90 lives in the US. 

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Confusion among people has also mounted if voting for primaries is safe, while Arizona, Florida, and Illinois prepare for voting. However, 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) calls for a crucial decision from Sanders who has to now choose whether to quit if he fails to score a major upset. 

Trump denies delaying elections

While the world is rocked with the unprecedented outbreak of deadly coronavirus, United States President Donald Trump has said on March 17 that it is “unnecessary” to postpone the upcoming US elections in the wake of the pandemic. Major events around the world have either been postponed or cancelled as the fatal virus, which had originated in China in December 2019. It continues to spread to more than 160 countries and has infected over 180,000 people around the world.  

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The US President, himself had suggested delaying the Tokyo Olympics 2020 as the coronavirus tightens it grip worldwide, disrupting thousands of lives with major cities under lockdown. However, postponing the US presidential elections which are scheduled in the month of November of this year deemed “not a very good thing” for Trump. The comments by the US President came shortly after Ohio announced that it was cancelling the in-person voting on March 18 Democratic presidential primary. 

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