Biden burns Sanders in chaotic Illinois primary — winning by 20-plus percentage points
Presidential Elections,Joe Biden,Bernie Sanders,Elections
Former Vice President Joe Biden tightened his grip on the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday, defeating Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in Illinois with the help of African-American voters, women and voters over 45.
Biden led Sanders with 59.5% to 35.8% with 96% of the precincts reporting.
It was an unprecedented Election Day in Illinois — with delayed results, missing election judges, dwindling supplies of hand sanitizer and bickering over whether the state should even hold its primary during a global health pandemic.
Speaking in an address from his Delaware home, Biden said he had a “very good night” in Illinois and Florida and said he was “a little closer to securing the Democratic Party’s nomination for president.”
He also had a message for Sanders’ supporters: “I hear you. I know what’s at stake. I know what we have to do,” Biden said.
“Our goal as a campaign, and my goal as a candidate for president is to unify this party, then to unify the nation,” he said.
Biden performed very well with women voters, older voters and African-American voters, according to CNN polls. Biden took 70% of the African-American vote, compared to Sanders at just 27%. Among women, Biden had 65% to Sanders’ 30%.
Sanders performed well, unsurprisingly, with voters aged 17-44 — 63% compared to Biden at 17%, the CNN poll found. Biden took 78% of the vote among voters 45 and older, the polls found.
