WASHINGTON (AP) – Many Democratic voters in Super Tuesday’s presidential primaries made up their minds just before casting a ballot – and Joe Biden appears to be benefiting from their indecision.
Late deciders across several states voting Tuesday broke for Biden, helping the former vice president capitalize on new momentum in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sen. Bernie Sanders secured his home state of Vermont and Colorado, where voters were more likely to be liberal.
The pool of late deciders ranged from about a quarter of voters in Texas to roughly half in Minnesota, according to AP VoteCast surveys of voters in several Super Tuesday contests. In Minnesota, roughly half of those votes went to Biden.
The surveys show the power of momentum in a race that has long been crowded with candidates and often left voters confused. Biden’s big win in South Carolina on Saturday revived his struggling campaign and pushed three of his rivals toward the exit.
Still, Biden must also block Sanders with his constituency of young liberals, box out Sen. Elizabeth Warren and overcome the hundreds of millions spent by billionaire Mike Bloomberg – who is on the ballot for the first time Tuesday. Further complicating the possible outcomes on Tuesday was that many people voted early, likely to be a major factor in California, the night’s biggest delegate prize.