When States Hold Primaries During A Pandemic

WAMU 88.5

Published March 17, 2020 at 2:47 PM CDT

A poll worker in Miami Beach checks in George Hanley, who is wearing protective gloves, as he prepares to cast a ballot during the Florida presidential primary as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Five states have postponed their primaries due to the coronavirus pandemic. But three, Arizona, Florida and Illinois, still went to the polls on Tuesday. Former Vice President Joe Biden continued his winning streak and won all three states.

From The New York Times’ recap of the race:

low point in the 2020 primaries: a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire so embarrassing that he bolted the state before the polls closed and decamped to South Carolina for what looked like a potential last stand.

Now Mr. Biden is routing Mr. Sanders in every region of the country. In Florida, a voter survey showed Mr. Biden winning men and women, white voters and nonwhite voters, those with college degrees and those without — all with more than 60 percent of the vote. The victory was so thorough that Mr. Biden was even leading in Florida among “very liberal” Democrats, a typical Sanders base. He was similarly dominant in Illinois.

In fact, Mr. Biden was leading in every county in Florida — sometimes tripling and quadrupling the vote total of Mr. Sanders, just as the former vice president had swept every county in Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri a week ago.

Over 400 delegates were at stake in the two-man race between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice President Biden.

The two debated on Sunday, but greeted each other via elbow touch, instead of a traditional handshake. Vice President Biden made headlines by publicly committing to choose a female running mate, should he become the nominee. Sen. Sanders said he’d likely make the same decision.

How did fears about coronavirus affect turnout? And does another bad night for Sen. Sanders spell the end of his candidacy?