While it’s hardly as big as Super Tuesday, March 10 is another big day for the Democratic primaries. Frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are set to square off in six states, and this contest could be a major indicator of who will be nominated as the Democratic candidate for president.
Here’s what you need to know about today’s primaries.
Since Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Mike Bloomberg have all since dropped out of the race, it is unlikely that anyone other than Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden gets any votes.
At present, Biden leads in pledged delegates. Still, the race is close and the nomination could easily go to either candidate. Sanders, who is a progressive running on a platform of Medicare for All and eliminating student debt, is a favorite among voters under 50.
Biden, who was vice president under Obama and has promised a “return to normal,” is popular with older voters, but largely rejected by younger people. Many have noted that Biden has become less coherent and harder to understand in recent years. Many fear that he may be experiencing some kind of cognitive decline.
Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington are all holding primaries on Tuesday. In North Dakota, a Democratic caucus is being held.
In 2016, Bernie Sanders won the Democratic caucus in Idaho. This year the state switched to a primary, instead.
Likewise, Sanders won Michigan, North Dakota and Washington in 2016. Hillary Clinton won Mississippi and Missouri.
This could be an indicator that Tuesday will be a good day for Sanders. After all, many think Biden is acting as a stand-in for Hillary Clinton in this election cycle. Like Clinton, Biden is a centrist, establishment candidate. Many see him as a “safe” counter to Sanders’ progressive platform.
Between the six states voting on Tuesday, there are 352 delegates up for grabs. The biggest prize of the night will be Michigan, which has 125 delegates to offer a Democratic candidate. Sanders carried Michigan in the 2016 primary, though it’s unclear if this will translate to success for him there today.
The next biggest prize for the candidates would be Washington, which has 89 Democratic delegates to pledge, and, once again, this is a state that Sanders won in 2016. Should Sanders carry all of the states today that he did in 2016, he will net 248 delegates. Should Biden win in states Hillary won in 2016, he will receive 104.
Biden currently has 670 pledged delegates, while Sanders has 574. If the results from 2016 accurately predict the 2020 results, Biden could end the night with 774 delegates to Sanders’ 822, putting the progressive candidate in a slight lead. However, there’s no guarantee such a scenario will play out according to historical precedence.
