Joe Biden Wins Maryland, New Mexico: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primaries in Maryland, New Mexico and South Dakota, adding to a cache of delegates as seven states and the District of Columbia held primaries on Tuesday.

With 96 delegates in play, Maryland will bring Biden even closer to the 1,991 he needs to win the Democratic nomination outright, especially since no other candidate still listed on the ballot appeared to be close to the 15% viability requirement to pick up delegates. South Dakota awards 16 delegates. New Mexico has 34 delegates.

Earlier Tuesday night, Biden won Indiana, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

The votes Tuesday were a test-run for vote-by-mail amid the coronavirus pandemic in several states. Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland postponed the state's previously scheduled April 28 primary and urged most voters to cast absentee ballots.

But there were long lines at the reduced number of in-person polling places, especially in Baltimore, with some voters saying they did not get their mail-in ballots in time.

Biden Wins Pennsylvania, Rhode Island (8:42 p.m.)

Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primaries in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, inching closer to the number of delegates he needs to officially become the party's nominee, the Associated Press reported.

With 186 delegates at stake, Pennsylvania is one of the biggest hauls in the Democratic nomination process as well as a key state for his fall campaign against President Donald Trump. Biden began his campaign with a rally in Philadelphia.

In early returns, former candidate Bernie Sanders was close to the 15% viability threshold to pick up more delegates in Pennsylvania and already above it in Rhode Island, which had just 26 delegates to dole out.

Earlier, Biden won the primary in Indiana. Seven states and the District of Columbia held primaries on Tuesday.

Biden Won the Indiana Primary (7:15 p.m.)

Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primary in Indiana primary on Tuesday, cementing his status as the party's presumed nominee, the Associated Press reported.

With 13% of the precincts reporting, Biden had 82%, and none of the other Democrats on the ballot, all of whom have since dropped out, had met the 15% viability threshold.

If he sweeps Indiana, will have Biden 1,608 delegates, still shy of the roughly 1,991 needed to win the nomination.

Besides Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., are also holding primaries Tuesday.

Biden Could Clinch Nomination in Tuesday Votes (12:52 p.m.)

Call it Late Super Tuesday.

Voters in seven states and the District of Columbia hold presidential primaries Tuesday that will likely putting Joe Biden within reach of formally clinching the Democratic nomination.

The former vice president is about 465 delegates short of the 1,991 he needs for the nomination. There are 479 delegates up for grabs Tuesday.

Biden will almost certainly pick up delegates in Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Washington, D.C. Pennsylvania is holding in-person voting, but the deadline for mail-in ballots is June 9. Iowa is holding a primary for congressional races.

With high rates of mail-in voting in the primaries so far, it's possible that some results might be delayed. And because Bernie Sanders remains on the ballot, it's also possible Biden might not win the high percentage of votes cast that he would need to put him over the top. His next chance will be on June 9, when Georgia and West Virginia hold primaries and Pennsylvania's results are released.