Hillary Clinton secured important wins Tuesday night in Virginia and Georgia, while Democratic presidential primary rival Sen. Bernard Sanders cruised to victory in his home state of Vermont.
Networks called the Virginia and Georgia races for Mrs. Clinton shortly after the polls closed at 7 p.m.
In Vermont, networks called the contest for Mr. Sanders moments after voting ended. Heading into Tuesday’s slate of 11 Democratic primaries, Mr. Sanders had been leading Mrs. Clinton in Vermont by a huge margin.
Tuesday’s elections, which together form so-called “Super Tuesday,” are crucial for both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders. Fresh off her dominating win in last Saturday’s South Carolina primary, Mrs. Clinton is poised to tap into her strong advantage among African-American voters and string together other big wins across the South.
In addition to Virginia and Georgia, voters in Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas also vote Tuesday. Mrs. Clinton is leading in each of those states, polls have shown.
Mr. Sanders, meanwhile, is counting on strong showings in Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado, Minnesota and Oklahoma to sustain his candidacy.
After casting his own ballot in Vermont Tuesday morning, Mr. Sanders promised that he’d continue fighting all the way to the Democratic party convention in July, regardless of what happens Tuesday.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.