Biden wins Texas, capping off major Super Tuesday victories

Former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE capped off a run of victories on Super Tuesday with a narrow win in Texas, a massive prize for a candidate whose campaign appeared on the edge of collapse less than a week ago.

The Associated Press called the race for Biden at 12:57 a.m. CST. He notched several victories on Tuesday, primarily in the South, where strong support from black voters and moderates allowed him to run up the score against his chief rival, Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.).

But Sanders scored a major victory of his own in California, the most delegate-rich state of the campaign, as well as in Colorado, Utah and his home state of Vermont. Those wins are expected to award him more delegates than any other candidate, though it will not give him the kind of insurmountable delegate lead that he hoped for and that his opponents had feared.

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Meanwhile, two other contenders, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (D-Mass.), saw a series of lackluster finishes. But perhaps none were more disappointing than Warren’s distant third-place finish in her home state of Massachusetts, where she fell to both Biden and Sanders.

For Bloomberg, who appeared on primary ballots for the first time Tuesday, the results of the nominating contests were just as disappointing. He spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising and organizing operations across the Super Tuesday map in hopes of capitalizing on moderate unease with Biden.

That theory did not materialize Tuesday, however, and a source close to his campaign said he would begin to reassess his presidential bid.

The Super Tuesday results suggest that the Democratic nominating contest has become a two-person race between Biden and Sanders, drastically different candidates who represent opposing factions of the Democratic coalition. Biden is a moderate promising a continuation of the policy agenda of former President Obama, while Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist intent on bringing about radical change in government and industry.

Biden’s victories on Tuesday began in Virginia, where he was projected the winner almost as soon as polls closed. That was followed by wins in a handful of Southern states, including North Carolina and Alabama, where he was able to build on the momentum he gained after a decisive victory in the South Carolina primary last week.

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Biden also picked up wins in Minnesota and Oklahoma, two states that Sanders carried during his 2016 primary bid against former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE.

Two things happened in recent days that helped propel Biden’s wins on Super Tuesday.

He won a major victory in South Carolina, the first presidential primary win of his political career, on Saturday. And in the days that followed, two of his top rivals in the primary field’s moderate lane, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE and Sen. Amy KlobucharAmy KlobucharHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Democrats demand Republican leaders examine election challenges after Georgia voting chaos Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk MORE (D-Minn.), dropped out of the race and endorsed him, a sign that centrists were willing to coalesce behind a single alternative to Sanders.

Sanders, who emerged as the nominal front-runner in the race after a top finish in Iowa and back-to-back victories in the New Hampshire primary and Nevada causes, is still very much in contention. His win in California on Tuesday will give him the largest single delegate haul to date.

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