Joe Biden Sweeps: Wins Florida, Illinois, Arizona Primaries

Former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont are the last viable Democratic presidential candidates standing as Arizona, Florida, and Illinois hold primaries today; Ohio has delayed its primary until June 2 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Biden has a big lead in the delegate count, 894 to 743 going into the evening, but Sanders is determined to stay in the race.

The Advocate will report results for each state as they come in.

8 p.m. Pacific: Arizona has been called for Biden. NBC News estimates his delegate count will go over 1,100 tonight. Delegates are awarded proportionally, and it takes 1,991 to win the nomination.

Biden had spoken to supporters about an hour earlier from Wilmington, Del., via livestream. He praised first responders, health care workers, and others doing their jobs during the health crisis, and he also lauded poll workers. In-person turnout was low today, but there had been much early voting, especially in Arizona.

He noted that his campaign was succeeding "by building the broad coalition that we need to win in November." He said he and Sanders may disagree on tactics, but they agree on the need to make health care accessible and affordable to all Americans, to address income inequality, and to fight climate change.

5:35 p.m. Pacific:The New York Times has called Illinois for Biden. Biden had big support from African-American voters in Illinois, along with whites. He had endorsements from major elected officials in Illinois, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and both of the state's U.S. senators, Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin.

5 p.m. Pacific: Polls have just closed in Florida, and NBC News is projecting Biden as the winner. Biden benefited from his popularity among African-Americans in Florida, and Sanders was hurt by his refusal to retract praise of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, as Florida has a large population of Cuban immigrants who opposed the Castro regime, and the descendants of those immigrants.