Biden scores crucial primary wins

After pulling off victories in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, and Missouri on Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden invited supporters of Bernie Sanders to back him instead. “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,” Biden said. “We share a common goal, and together we’ll beat Donald Trump.” Sanders won the North Dakota caucuses on Tuesday, while the race in Washington state was too close to call. Many early voters there cast ballots for candidates who have since dropped out of the race.

What does this mean for Sanders? The independent senator from Vermont won an upset in the Michigan primary in 2016 that boosted his campaign against Hillary Clinton, but he lost the state to Biden by about 17 percentage points on Tuesday. Michigan awards 125 delegates—the biggest prize of the night. Sanders’ loss there darkens the prospects for the future of his campaign.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew about how Biden and Sanders are working to build voter enthusiasm.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its original posting.