Amid growing restrictions over the global coronavirus outbreak, Joe Biden racked up primary wins over Bernie Sanders in Arizona, Florida and Illinois on Tuesday, making his delegate lead for the Democratic presidential nomination all but insurmountable before the party’s scheduled convention in July.As polls closed at 8 p.m. ET in Florida, the former vice president was declared the winner by the Associated Press. Ahead by nearly 40 points with 77 percent of the votes counted in a state that awards 219 delegates proportionally, Biden was sure to pad his overall delegate lead over Sanders, the senator from Vermont.Biden was also declared the winner in Illinois, a state that awards 101 delegates, some 30 minutes later.Addressing the nation in a somber tone, given the severity of the the coronavirus outbreak, Biden spoke from his home in Delaware and took pains to avoid celebrating his victories in a way that was out of sync with the moment facing the country.“Today, it looks like once again, in Florida and Illinois — we’re still awaiting to hear from Arizona — our campaign has had a very good night,” Biden said. “We’ve moved closer to securing the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, and we’re doing it by building a broad coalition that we need to win in November.”Biden also reached out to supporters of Sanders, saying that he and the senator from Vermont “share a common vision” on issues like providing affordable healthcare and “tackling the existential threat of our time, climate change.”“Sen. Sanders and his supporters have brought a remarkable passion and tenacity to all of these issues. Together, they have shifted the fundamental conversation in this country,” Biden said. “So let me say, especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Sen. Sanders: I hear you. I know what’s at stake. I know what we have to do.” In his remarks from Delaware, Biden thanked those who had turned out to support him, as well as those who volunteered to work at the polls.“Americans in three states went to the polls today. I want to thank all the public officials and the poll workers who worked closely with the public health authorities to assure safe opportunities for voting, to clean and disinfect voting booths, and to make sure the voters can cast their ballots, while maintaining a distance from one another that was safe,” Biden said.Puerto Rico is scheduled to hold the next Democratic primary, on March 29. On April 4, Hawaii, Alaska and Wyoming are set to have their primaries._____Read more from Yahoo News:
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