Joe Biden has decisively won Michigan's Democratic presidential primary, seizing a key battleground state that helped propel Bernie Sanders' insurgent candidacy four years ago.
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The former vice-president's victory there, as well as in Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho, dealt a serious blow to the Vermont senator and substantially widened Biden's path to the nomination.
Biden again showed strength with working-class voters and African Americans, who are vital to winning the Democratic nomination. Sanders' narrow hopes for good news rested on North Dakota and Washington state.
Washington's primary was too early to call and because all votes there are cast by mail or by dropping them off in a ballot box, many ballots were marked for candidates who have since dropped out of the race.
The six-state contest marked the first time voters weighed in on the primary since it effectively narrowed to a two-person race between Sanders, 78, and Biden, 77.
The first four states on Tuesday went to Biden, a dramatic reversal for a campaign that appeared on the brink of collapse just two weeks ago. Now it is Sanders, whose candidacy was ascendant so recently, who must contemplate a path forward.
Addressing supporters in Philadelphia, Biden noted many had "declared that this candidacy was dead" only days ago, but "now we're very much alive".
He also asked Sanders supporters to back him going forward: "We need you, we want you, and there's a place in our campaign for each of you. I want to thank Bernie Sanders and his supporters for their tireless energy and their passion.
"We share a common goal, and together we'll beat Donald Trump."
It marked a high point for the former vice-president's staff. They sipped beer and broke into an impromptu dance party after his speech, which was held close to his Philadelphia headquarters.
Even as the contours of the race came into shape, however, new uncertainty was sparked by fears of the spreading coronavirus. Both candidates abruptly cancelled rallies in Ohio that were scheduled for Tuesday night.
That set the stage for Biden's remarks in Philadelphia, while Sanders flew home to Vermont and did not plan to address the public.
Sanders' campaign also said all future events would be decided on a case-by-case basis given public health concerns, while Biden called off a scheduled upcoming Florida stop.
Still, the former vice-president said Tuesday night that he'd be announcing plans to combat the coronavirus later this week.
The Democratic National Committee also said that Sunday's debate between Sanders and Biden would be conducted without an audience.
According to an Associated Press analysis, Biden had picked up at least 153 new delegates: 53 in Michigan, 40 in Missouri, 29 in Mississippi, five in North Dakota, 17 in Washington and nine in Idaho on Tuesday.
Sanders got 89: 35 in Michigan, 23 in Missouri, two in Mississippi, seven in Idaho, five in North Dakota and 17 in Washington.
Although six states voted, Michigan - with its 125 delegates - got most of the attention. Trump won the state by only 10,704 votes during the general election, his closest margin of victory among Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Those states gave Trump the narrow edge in the 2016 electoral college after Clinton won the popular vote.
Sanders has vowed not to drop out regardless of Tuesday's results and frequently railed against the "Democratic establishment" that he says has aligned against him.
As well as the powerful groups now siding with Biden, the former vice-president has picked up the endorsements of many of his former presidential rivals, including senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Australian Associated Press
