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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN America's Choice 2020, Super Tuesday; Joe Biden Wins The Majority Of Delegates In Six States; Bernie Sanders Wins Two States. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired March 03, 2020 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[22:00:00]
ANDREW YANG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: If Mike Bloomberg does get out, there's scenario where he endorses Biden relatively promptly, and then this massive operation goes to Biden, and then there's a word where he says I'll wait for the nominee and support that nominee.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right. Thanks very much. It's 10 o'clock so we have a few race alerts right now in Utah. The polls have just closed in Utah with 29 delegates at stake -- at stake. Too early to call in Utah right now. We're watching Utah very closely as well.
We're also watching six other contests very closely right now. Let's first of all take a look at the second biggest prize of the night. Texas with 228 delegates.
Bernie Sanders is ahead with 34 percent of the vote in, 28.2 percent to Joe Biden, 23.3 percent, Bloomberg, 18.9 percent. Elizabeth Warren under 15 percent at 13.3 percent. She would need to be 15 percent to be viable.
In Maine right now almost a third of the vote is in. Twenty-four delegates at stake. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden very close. Only 587 votes separate the two. Sanders on top 34.3 percent. Biden at 33.3 percent. Elizabeth Warren, 16.3 percent. Bloomberg and Tulsi Gabbard below in the state of Maine.
Let's go to Massachusetts right now. Twenty-one percent of the vote is in. Look at this. Joe Biden is ahead right now with 33.5 percent. Bernie Sanders is second place 25.9 percent. This is Elizabeth Warren's home state. She's in third place right now with 21.4 percent.
Let's go to Minnesota right now. Minnesota, 75 delegates at stake. Thirty-eight percent of the vote is in. Biden is ahead at 36.5 percent. Sanders, 31.5 percent. Elizabeth Warren, 17.2 percent.
In Minnesota Biden is ahead right there. In Oklahoma Biden is also ahead. Almost a third of the vote is in Oklahoma 35.5 percent. Sanders 23.9 percent. Bloomberg is just above 15 percent at 15.8 percent. Elizabeth Warren is below. Only 13 percent.
Arkansas, let's look at Arkansas right now. Almost a third of the vote is in. Thirty-one delegates at stake. Biden is ahead by 8,902 votes at 30.9 percent. Bernie Sanders at 20.6 percent. Bloomberg, 20.4 percent. Elizabeth Warren below 15 percent.
Let's look at states won so far by these candidates. And we're going to put them up over there. States won by Joe Biden. Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Pretty much of a sweep in the south.
States won by Bernie Sanders. Colorado, and his home state of Vermont.
Let's go over to David Chalian right now. You're looking very closely at the all-important delegate picture.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: That's right, Wolf. We are taking a look to see who is getting delegates. How that's amassing. Remember, you need 15 percent statewide, 15 percent in the district.
This is what we've been able to do. In Colorado as you know we have projected that race for Bernie Sanders. Sixty-seven delegates are at stake in Colorado. We have been able to allocate eight delegates to Sanders to start with. We've got 59 more delegates to allocate as the vote comes in in Colorado.
District by district we'll be able to assign those out. Right now, Sanders has 8. In Tennessee, 64 delegates at stake tonight, Wolf. And we've been able to give Joe Biden who is projected to win that state 12 delegates so far. Sanders gets four delegates. And there 48 remaining delegates to allocate in Tennessee.
So, again we'll watch the vote come in. We'll watch it come in statewide and district by district. I want to show -- I want to show you delegates tonight where we are. Remember, 1,344 delegates are up for grabs tonight.
Here we are. This is the way the night is going. Biden with 97 delegates so far. Sanders with 42. Bloomberg with four. Gabbard with one. And Warren with one.
Wolf, over to you for a projection.
BLITZER: We got a major projection right now.
And CNN projects that Joe Biden is the winner in Oklahoma. He's the winner of the Democratic presidential primary in Oklahoma. Thirty- seven delegates at stake. Biden wins in Oklahoma.
Here are the states he's won so far tonight. Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia. Bernie Sanders so far tonight he's won Colorado and his home state of Vermont.
Right now, let's go over to Jake and Dana. So far, a very big night. Very impressive night for Joe Biden.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Absolutely. And we can't overstate the fact that a couple weeks ago, a lot of people thought that he was going to have to drop out of the race. He came in fifth in Iowa. I think in fourth in New Hampshire. I mean, he had been doing really poorly.
He came in second in Nevada but long, long way between him and the first-place finisher Bernie Sanders. And he's having quite a night. You can attribute it to any number of things including the fact that he won South Carolina so overwhelmingly.
[22:05:06]
African-American voters are really coming for -- through for Joe Biden this evening in all the states. And also, a lot of late deciders.
I think the fact that Buttigieg and Klobuchar dropped out before Super Tuesday and both of them -- we're going to listen to Bernie Sanders right now.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Vermont.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: You know, it's a -- it's a funny thing, 31 years ago today we won the mayor race in Burlington, Vermont.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: And we won that race against all of the odds. Everybody said it couldn't be done.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: And when we began this race for the presidency, everybody said it couldn't be done.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: But tonight, I tell you with absolute confidence, we are going to win the Democratic nomination.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: And we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of this country.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: We are going to win --
(CROWD CHANTING)
SANDERS: We are going -- we are going to defeat Trump because we are putting together and unprecedented grassroots, multi-generational, multi-racial movement.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: It is a movement which speaks to the working families of this country who are sick and tired of working longer hours for low wages. And seeing all new income and wealth going to the top 1 percent.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: It is a movement which says the United States will have healthcare for all as a human right.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: It is a movement that says we will bring major reforms in education, making sure all of our kids can go to college without coming out in debt.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: Now what makes this movement unique is we are taking on the corporate establishment.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: We are taking on the greed of Wall Street.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: The greed of the drug companies who charge us the highest prices in the world.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: The greed of the insurance companies.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: And given the extensive crisis of climate change, we are saying to the fossil fuel industries --
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: -- we are saying to the fossil fuel industry their short-term profits are not more important than the future of our country and the world.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: We are not only taking on the corporate establishment, we're taking on the political establishment.
(CROWD CHEERING)
[22:10:03]
SANDERS: We're going to win because the people understand it is our campaign, our movement, which is best positioned to defeat Trump.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: You cannot beat Trump with the same old same old kind of politics.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: What we need is a new politics that brings working class people into our political movement.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: Which brings young people into our political movement.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: And which in November will create the highest voter turnout in American political history.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: So, we're going to beat Trump because this will become a contrast in ideas. One of us in this race led the opposition to the war in Iraq. You're looking at him.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: Another candidate voted for the war in Iraq.
(CROWD BOOING)
SANDERS: One of us has spent his entire life fighting against cuts in social security, expand social security.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: Another candidate has been on the floor of the Senate calling for cuts to social security. Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' programs.
(CROWD BOOING)
SANDERS: One of us led the opposition to disaster trade agreements which cost us millions of good paying jobs.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: And that's me. And another candidate voted for disastrous trade agreements.
(CROWD BOOING)
SANDERS: One of us stood up for consumers and said we will not support a disastrous bankruptcy bill.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And another candidate represented the credit card companies and voted for that disastrous bill.
(CROWD BOOING)
SANDERS: So here we are, we have two major goals in front of us. And they are directly related. First, we must beat a president who apparently has never read the Constitution of the United States.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: A president who thinks we should be an autocracy not a democracy.
(CROWD BOOING)
SANDERS: But second of all, we need a movement in our developing a movement of black, white, Latino, Native American, Asian-America, gay and straight.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: Of people who are making it clear every day they will not tolerate the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality we are experiencing.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: We will not give tax breaks to billionaires when a half a million Americans sleep on the streets.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: We will not allow 49 percent of all new income to go to the 1 percent when half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: I don't know what's going to happen later tonight, we're doing well in Texas right now.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: We won Colorado.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: And I'm cautiously optimistic that later in the evening we can win the largest state in the country. The State of California.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: But no matter what happens, if this campaign and I don't know what will happen, but if it comes out to be a campaign in which we have one candidate who is standing up for the working class and the middle class, we're going to win that election.
[22:15:04]
(APPLAUSE) SANDERS: And if we have another candidate who has received contributions from at least 60 billionaires, we're going to win that election.
(CROWD BOOING)
SANDERS: And if there's another candidate in the race who is spending hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, we're going to tell him in America you cannot buy elections.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: So, I am excited about where we are. We have come a long, long way.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: And I want to once again thank the great State of Vermont and all of the people in this state.
(CROWD CHEERING)
SANDERS: Not only for the victory you gave our movement tonight. But for the years and years of love and support you have given me and my family.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: So, Vermont, Vermont, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you all very much. Let's go onto the White House. Thank you.
(CROWD CHEERING)
BLITZER: All right. We have another major projection right now. Take a look at this. CNN now projects that Bernie -- that Joe Biden, I should say, Joe Biden is the winner in Arkansas where 31 delegates are at stake. Joe Biden will win the Democratic presidential primary in Arkansas.
There are now six states that he has won. They are Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia. Six states Biden wins Arkansas.
Bernie Sanders so far tonight has won Colorado, as well as Vermont, his home state of Vermont. We have several more states to go. But that's where it stands right now. Six states for Biden. Pretty good.
Bernie Sanders so far has won two. But we're still waiting for Texas. We're waiting for Utah and we're waiting for California. The biggest prize of the night.
TAPPER: You would know that from Sanders speech which is kind of like pulling a Klobuchar. Coming out early and giving your campaign speech, giving your stump speech. Taking advantage of the prime time and the gap in the space right now. Although Senator Sanders right now is trailing in terms of the number
of contests that we have called at this point. Six for Biden and two for Sanders.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: A southern sweep for Joe Biden. But the thing we have to keep in mind is that Texas --
TAPPER: Yes.
BASH: -- and California are still out. They make up almost 50 percent of the delegate haul tonight on Super Tuesday.
And I was just texting with the top Sanders aide as we were watching the Senator speak, saying that they feel really good about Texas. But more importantly that was the goal to try to win early. I mean, it's obviously already 10.18 Eastern at this point.
But compared to California which could take a while to count. Because of not just the delegates but also the narrative. They understood from the beginning that it could be what we're seeing a good night or victories for Joe Biden. And they wanted to show that at least a very big important state like Texas could be a win for Bernie Sanders.
It's not there yet but as we're seeing the numbers come on it's -- come in it's looking good for him and that's a really big number.
TAPPER: And if you look -- if you look right now at the map, right now there's dark blue states, those are the states that we projected Joe Biden, the former vice president will win. The light blue states including Vermont, Colorado and then the Nevada from a few weeks ago are the ones that we are giving to, we have projected that Senator Sanders will win.
The other important thing is of course since the Democrats do this proportionally. That you don't -- if you win a state it's not winner take all. You don't get all 228 delegates or whatever. They are chipped off according to what your margin of victory was.
We don't know who actually is going to end up on top because we don't know the margins yet. So even if Joe Biden wins the state, unless he wins by a lot, he might not have that much of a delegate edge.
You might recall we mentioned this earlier tonight in New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary. Pete Buttigieg came in second place. But it was just a slice behind him. They both left with nine delegates.
This ultimately is a race for delegates. One thousand nine hundred ninety-one delegates -- ninety-one delegates will get you the nomination. And we still don't know if it's going to even be possible for either Sanders or Biden to win that number of delegates before the convention.
[22:20:05]
BASH: That's why going into tonight both the Sanders and Biden campaigns were telling me that their main goal was to drive up the votes in the areas where they thought they had the best chance of winning because of the delegates.
For example, we were talking about Texas which is still open right now. The Biden campaign were trying to get as many votes out as possible in Dallas and Houston with big African-American voters were obviously he's showed tonight that that is where his support is.
And for Bernie Sanders, college campuses across the states. Younger voters as you mention are his bread and butter. They are the backbone of his support; it was in 2016. It continues to be now.
TAPPER: Yes. But the important thing is also 60 -- 60 percent of the delegates are allotted according to the congressional districts. So, in other words the Democratic primary process rewards those who or have as much of a support as across the state and not just driven up in the urban areas for Biden or the college towns for Bernie Sanders.
You're looking right there at Los Angeles, California where we're waiting, we're expecting former Vice President Biden to come out and address the crowd. We expect that he will give something of a stump speech and declare a victory himself as well.
He is in California which is the biggest prize. More than 400 delegates will be allotted from that state this evening. We still do not know how they are going to go. But let's take a look and listen in as the former vice president addresses the crowd in California.
(CHANTING)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, hello, hello, hello!
It's a good night. It's a good night.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And it seems to be getting better.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
They don't call it Super Tuesday for nothing. By the way, this is my little sister Valerie. And I'm Jill's husband.
Oh, no, this -- Valerie (ph), you switched on me. This is my wife, this is my sister. They switched on me.
Folks, it's still early, but things are looking awful, awful good.
CROWD: Yes!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: For those -- those who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) Just a few days ago the press and the pundits declared the campaign dead.
And that came South Carolina, and they had something to say about it.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And we're told, well, when you get to Super Tuesday, it will be over. Well, it may be over for the other guy.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Tell that to the folks in Virginia.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
North Carolina.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Alabama.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Tennessee.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Oklahoma.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Arkansas.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Minnesota!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And maybe even Massachusetts. It's too close to call.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And we're still waiting for Texas and California, a few other small states to come in.
But it's looking good. So, I'm here to report, we are very much alive!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And make no mistake about it: this campaign will send Donald Trump packing.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) This campaign is taking off. Join us. To those folks, listen, go to JoeBiden.com. Sign up, volunteer, contribute if you can. We need you, we want you and there's a place for you in this campaign.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
People were talking about a revolution. We started a movement. We've increased turnout.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
The turnouts turned out for us.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
That can deliver us to a moment where we can do extraordinary, extraordinary things.
Look, our agenda is bold. It's progressive. It's a vision where health care is affordable and available to everybody in America.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
We're going to bring drug prices down under control with no more surprise billing, access to hospitals in rural areas as well as urban areas. Access to care.
A bold vision, we'll invest (ph) billions of dollars to find -- and I promise you -- cures for cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
[22:25:00]
SANDERS: Standing up to and beating the NRA and the gun manufacturers.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And leading the world to take on the existential threat of climate change.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
I'm going to start by rejoining the outfit I helped put together, the Paris Climate Accord, and we're going to move it a long way.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
A country where the quality of education will not depend on your zip code, where we triple funding for low income school districts, providing raises for teachers, full time school for three, four, five years old, and increasing exponentially the prospect of those success.
Free community college, providing credentials for every job in the 21st century.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And significant reduction in the cost of going to college in your student debt. If you volunteer, you pay nothing.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Folks, we can do this.
CROWD: Yes!
BIDEN: Let's get something straight. Wall Street didn't build this country, you built the country.
CROWD: Yes!
BIDEN: The middle class built this country. And unions built the middle class.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
In the neighborhoods we come from --
(INAUDIBLE)
(BOOS)
(CROWD CHANTING, "LET'S GO, JOE!")
BIDEN: We're going to go -- look, the middle class is getting clobbered. The middle class is getting clobbered. Too many people in the neighborhoods that Jill and Val and I grew up in. They're (ph) getting hurt, or badly hurt and guess what, the places we come from many of you come from, is where we were raised, the people, they're the reason why I'm running. There's the reason why I'm a Democrat in the first place.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
These are people who built our bridges and repair our roads, keep our water safe, who teach our kids, look, who race into burning buildings to protect other people, who grow our food, build our cars, pick up our garbage, our streets, veterans, Dreamers, single moms.
And, by the way, every Dreamer, have hope because I'm coming and you're not going anywhere.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And we're going to provide a pathway, a pathway for 11 million citizens. If the other guy voted for the -- well, I shouldn't get into that. I won't get going.
Look, the iron workers, the steelworkers, the boiler makers, the plumbers, the electrical (ph) -- these are the people that have been forgotten.
I agree with you, man. Look, the people Trump forgot, the people I will never forgot (ph) and I will always remember.
Folks, that's why we need an economy that rewards work, not just wealth, reestablishes the middle class and this time brings everybody along, everybody, regardless of their race, their ethnicity, whether they're -- their gender, their disability, their economic -- Democrats, Republicans, independents, every stripe.
Look, like we did in South Carolina, like we did across America today, like we'll do all the way to the White House. Look, that's why I was so proud yesterday being embraced by Amy Klobuchar.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
We won Minnesota because of Amy Klobuchar.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And we're doing well in Texas because of Beto O'Rourke.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And that's why, that's why I was so proud, so incredibly proud to have Mayor Pete's endorsement as well.
There's the man of character, intellect and courage.
And, by the way, I was proud to be endorsed by Jim Clyburn. Man, he is something else.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Look, our campaign reflects diversity of this party and this nation. And that's how it should be, because we need to bring everybody along, everybody. We want a nominee who will beat Donald Trump.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
But also, also keep Nancy Pelosi the speaker of the House.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Win back the United States Senate.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
If that's what you want, join us. And you want a nominee who's a Democrat, a lifelong Democrat, a proud Democrat, an Obama-Biden Democrat. Join us.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
[22:30:00]
SANDERS: Look, this all starts with a revival of decency and honor and character. Trump has fanned the flames of hate and sought to divide us. He's insulted, demonized and actually just -- the way he talks about people.
He has not a single sense of empathy. He doesn't have any compassion. No regard for the values that made this country who we are, not the way you were raised by your moms and dads.
He looks at honesty and decency and respect and he views it as a sign of weakness. He doesn't believe that we're the beacon of the world. He doesn't believe we're all part of something bigger than ourselves.
That's why I've said from the moment I announced with this candidacy, we're literally in the battle for the soul of America.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Folks, winning means uniting America, not sowing seeds of division and anger and hate. We've got to beat Donald Trump and we will, but we can't become like him. We can't have a never-ending war between the parties.
We need a president who can fight but make no -- make no mistake about I can fight. But, look, we need as badly, as badly someone who can heal.
Look, just look what we did when we passed Obamacare, and what President Obama and I did in saving the American automobile industry, and what we did to pass the Violence Against Women Act, and what -- but it's not enough. This is just a start.
We need a president who can heal the country as well. And that is what I will do as your president. I promise you.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
It's about delivering real results for you, your family and the community. It's not about me, Jill or Valerie. It's about you. It's about our families.
To paraphrase an English poet, Robert Brown, when he said, our reach should exceed our grasp.
And my reach does exceed our grasp because there's no doubt in my mind, we can grasp whatever we reach for.
Ladies and gentlemen, I quoted an English poet, but let me quote a real poet now, an Irish poet.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
Seamus Heaney, who wrote a poem called "The Cure and Troy". And here's what he says and I believe this from the bottom of my being. He said, history says don't hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime, the longed-for tidal wave of justice rises up, and hope and history rhyme.
We can make hope and history rhyme because of what we've seen (ph). There's nothing we can't do. This is about the future. It's not about the past. It's about our children and our grandchildren.
It's about leading this country, and leading the world once again.
Folks, we just have to remember who we are. My Lord, this is the United States of America.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
It is time for America to get back up!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
And once again fight for the proposition that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights. We say it too often in school, we don't realize how profound it is.
We've never lived up to those words, but until this president, we've never walked away from it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe with every fiber of being that's who we are. So, let's get back up. We are a decent, brave, resilient people. We can believe again.
But we are -- we are better than this moment. We are better than this president. So, get back up and take back this country, the United States of America! There's not a single thing we can't do.
God bless you and may God protect our troops! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
BLITZER: All right we have another major projection right now. CNN now projects that Joe Biden will win the Democratic presidential primary in Minnesota. Where there are 75 delegates at stake. Biden wins Minnesota. So far he's won tonight. Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia. Bernie Sanders so far tonight, he has won Colorado and Vermont. Vermont once again his home state. Let's get a key race alert right now.
All right take a look at this. We're watching four states right now. At Bernie Sanders' winning in three of those states. Let's go to Utah first, right now, 29 delegates at stake in Utah, 62 percent of the vote is in Bernie Sanders is winning. Utah 31.5 percent. Bloomberg 19 percent. Elizabeth Warren 15.3 percent. Biden right now is in fourth place in Utah, 12.8 percent.
[22:35:07]
In Texas right now, 41 percent of the vote is in. It's a big prize, 228 delegates at stake in Texas. Right now, Bernie Sanders is winning with 29 percent. Biden in second place 23.8 percent. Bloomberg in third place, 18.4 percent. Elizabeth Warren, 13 percent.
In Maine right now, almost half of the vote is in, 24 delegates at stake. Bernie Sanders right now is slightly ahead of Joe Biden by 604 votes, 34.2 percent to 33.4 percent. Elizabeth Warren, she's down 16.3 percent. Bloomberg is trailing right now in Massachusetts right now.
Remember this is Elizabeth Warren's home state. Biden is winning with 39 percent of the vote in. He has 33.5 percent. Bernie Sanders in second place, 25.9 percent Elizabeth Warren, 21 percent. Bloomberg trailing behind. Let's go over to Jake and Dana. When you take a look at the map behind you, right there, Biden is doing very well. East of the Mississippi. Sanders is doing very well west of the Mississippi.
TAPPER: Yes, first of all we should take a moment to acknowledge that Senator Klobuchar, is endorsement probably meant quite a deal --
BLITZER: Yes.
TAPPER: -- quite a big deal for Joe Biden. I don't think Joe Biden even necessarily contested Minnesota much. I'm not even sure if he went to Minnesota during the campaign. And so, the fact that he won Minnesota after Amy Klobuchar, who until tonight had won every statewide election she had ever run. And I guess it counts, because she withdrew tonight.
So, I mean that was probably an endorsement that meant a great deal. But then second of all, we should just talk about the fact that the speech that Vice President Biden gave, which first of all was on teleprompter. And so he did very well, I thought. And he doesn't necessarily do as well speaking, extemporaneously.
Second of all, the message of Biden was right there. Which is, I will fight for you. But it's also a time for healing. And that's not where a lot of the Democratic electorate is. But it is a winning argument at least tonight with a sizable chunk of the people who voted.
BASH: I got a text from a disaffected Trump Republican saying, oh this guy can win. This guy shows up all the time, he could potentially win. Teleprompter, yes, but obviously the adrenaline of what a night that he's having so far. But I totally agree with you on Minnesota. It's important to take a beat and talk about that state. Because four years ago, Bernie Sanders crushed Hillary Clinton in Minnesota.
That was Sanders territory. For a whole bunch of reasons. And it wasn't the case tonight. Now in part there's no question at least coming into the night, a top Sanders aide said that they did think that Amy Klobuchar's endorsement, because she is so popular in Minnesota would help Joe Biden. But it helped a lot more I think than even the Sanders campaign even dreamed.
TAPPER: Yes. And we'll talk about that. And how some -- in some ways Sanders is under performing in the second, but let's go to Jeff Zeleny right now, who can shed some more light on Joe Biden Minnesota victory. Jeff?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake and Dana, you are absolutely right about Minnesota. Joe Biden had not even thought about campaigning in Minnesota, he didn't have the bandwidth to do so. But I'm told by Klobuchar adviser that today, just hours after that endorsement last night in Dallas, the entire staff of volunteers, the Klobuchar army if you will, turned out and helped get the vote out for Joe Biden, across the state from the iron range down to the twin cities. They turned out this vote.
The Senator also recorded a radio ad. A television ad. So, this is clearly the effort from the Klobuchar campaign to show what they could do in Minnesota. And Dana was mentioning that Bernie Sanders won considerably four years ago. One thing changed since then. It was caucuses then four years ago. So certainly a primary was a little bit easier for the masses. But no doubt, Klobuchar helped considerably Joe Biden tonight. Wolf?
BLITZER: Absolutely. All right the two biggest prizes of the night. There are still outstanding. Texas it seems to be close right now. We're watching that very closely as well. The biggest prize of the night California. The polls there close right at the top of the hour. We'll take a quick break and we'll be right back.
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[22:40:00]
BLITZER: All right, let's get a key race alert right now. We're watching these states very, very closely. Let's start with Texas, the second biggest prize of the night, 228 delegates at stake. Bernie Sanders is ahead right now, we had 42 percent of the vote is in. Bernie Sanders has 29 percent. Joe Biden in second place, 23.9 percent. Bloomberg third place 18.4 percent.
Sanders is also heading Utah right now with our 29 delegates at stake, 62 percent of the vote is in. Look at this, Bernie Sanders with 31.9 percent. Bloomberg in second place 18.8 percent. Elizabeth Warren 15.1 percent. Biden in fourth place, 13.5 percent.
In Maine right now 24 delegates at stake, 47 percent of the vote is in. Bernie Sanders is ahead by 504 votes. Slightly ahead 34.1 percent to Biden, 33.5 percent, 16.3 percent for Elizabeth Warren. In Massachusetts right now almost half of the vote is in. Joe Biden is ahead, 33.5 percent. Bernie Sanders in second place, 26.1 percent. Then Elizabeth Warren, this is her home state, 21.3 percent, 91 delegates at stake in Massachusetts. Let's go over to John King. He's looking at all these states very closely. And it shaping up to be competitive.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is competitive. Senator Sanders pulling away a little bit in Texas, 47,000 plus vote lead with 42 percent of the vote in. That translates to the 29 percent to 24 percent. If you round up for the vice president. Michael Bloomberg running third there.
You see, as you look through the counties in Texas. A little bit of -- a lot of Biden, a lot of Sanders. A little bit of Bloomberg sprinkled in as well. What's interesting her is that Joe Biden is winning not by a ton, but winning quite narrowly here in Harris County, the urban areas. The central areas winning there. And also up in the Dallas area right here.
[22:45:04] But Senator Sanders keeping it close in the urban areas and the closed
in suburbs in the Houston and the Dallas area here. And see him winning up -- winning in other places including San Antonio. Putting up a pretty impressive win down here right now in the San Antonio area. That matters a lot. And in Austin, college town and liberal stronghold within Texas. Travis County here. Senator Sanders winning big here.
As we watch, we are at 42 percent now as the count comes in. Texas looking OK for Senator Sanders. Looking strong for Senator Sanders. However, if you were the Biden campaign a couple days ago, if you thought you were going to be in this race. Here's my bog question for the night going forward in the sense that Biden had so much success so far.
Others will get delegates on those states, but can he -- not in even split, but can he stay in the hunt here to have a relatively close split with Sanders in Texas and then the bigger question will be, when we go to the biggest prize of all, 400 plus in California. The same question. Can Biden keep it close-ish in the sense that the Sanders campaign is banking on a big margin out of California.
So that even though right now, Joe Biden is leading the night that they're hoping to get it back there. But of you just look here. Where we are right now. These are the states we have called tonight, right. I've called already in the race, but you see Biden, Biden, Biden, Biden, Biden, Biden. Right? And Sanders is out -- Sanders' home state and Sanders' Colorado. But a lot for Biden so far. That's just called.
BLITZER: Seven states for Biden so far?
KING: Right. Plus, he's also leading right now in Massachusetts. And a lot of this -- a lot of this rightly so Biden wins Saturday in South Carolina. The big story lies in African-American voters have decided they are going to be for Joe Biden. And that is going to help him and it did help him in Virginia and North Carolina, in Tennessee, in Alabama and in Arkansas.
But there's a bigger story -- this as big a story happening tonight too in my view, if you want to look at this. Let's look at the state of Oklahoma right now. That's all Biden blue. That is all Biden blue. This state tonight, the electorate was 79 percent white, 79 percent white in Oklahoma. See that all Biden blue. Let's go back in time to 2016, a 10 point win for Bernie Sanders. That's a lot of Bernie Sanders. That's a lot of Joe Biden in the state of Oklahoma.
It's not just Oklahoma, you come up to Minnesota. Jake was just talking about the importance and the obvious importance of Amy Klobuchar coming onto team Biden. Late but apparently in time for this. Joe Biden with this lead here again, 85 percent of the voters tonight in Minnesota were white. This is not a place where the African-American base is rescuing Joe Biden. This is a place where he is competing across the state, the green is Amy Klobuchar. She's winning some counties in her home state.
Joe Biden is competing across the board. Blue collar voters, white voters in the state of Minnesota. Again, to go back in time, it's a nine point lead, eight point lead for Joe Biden right now. Four years ago, this was not at all close. Not at all close. So then you come across the state here and come back to 2020. You come across, Maine we're not there yet. This is much more competitive right now.
A fight though in Bernie Sanders backyard, Vermont is his home state. He won New Hampshire. A close fight here in a state where again, the fight --
BLITZER: It's 82 votes?
KING: 82 vote lead right now for Bernie Sanders. This ones gone back and forth a little bit, we are about half way reporting here. But again these are voters in Bernie Sanders' neighborhood. Four years ago you run up, you look at Maine right here, 64 percent for Bernie Sanders, 64 percent in Maine four years ago. It's a two way race then. But you do see here -- you do see here how much of that vote is for Bernie Sanders? How much it was anti-Clinton. Those are one of the conversations we'll see.
I just want to go down now to my home state of Massachusetts, come back to 2020. If you look right now Joe Biden is ahead. We're almost that half the vote counted. Joe Biden ahead by 45,000 votes. A little less than that, 33 percent right here, 79 percent of the voters in Massachusetts tonight are white. This is not a state where the African-American based is turning out to save Joe Biden. This is a state where he is running quite competitive with Bernie Sanders in the home state. Senator Elizabeth Warren among white blue color voters across and suburban voters across the state of Massachusetts.
So, Biden getting what he wanted from African-American voters in the southern states and across Tennessee into Arkansas. But in a very white electorate in Oklahoma, in Minnesota. And we don't have a call yet here in Massachusetts as well. And in Maine, he's competitive there as well. Wolf, either winning or leading in states where Senator Sanders thought would be his call tonight.
BLITZER: A very important indeed. All right, let's take a closer look at the delegates. David Chalian, you're watching this very closely. Biden so far has won seven states according to our projection. Bernie Sanders two. Tell us about the delegates so far tonight.
CHALIAN: Yes. Well, similar story to what John was just showing with the vote count. Look at the delegates tonight, 1,344 delegates at stake. But look at the lead that Joe Biden is now stacking up because of these victories. Beyond just the base states that he expected to do well in. He has got 120 delegates. That's 66 delegates now ahead of Bernie Sanders, who has 54.
That's now -- Bernie Sanders, if he's going to do well in Texas and well in California and make up the delegate lead. He's now working from a deficit tonight. And a significant one. He has to make up that and then try to build a big lead. He could do it, but watch, Bloomberg has four delegates tonight. Gabbard with one and Elizabeth Warren with a single delegate as well.
[22:50:05]
BLITZER: What about to date so far, the all-important delegate count, given all the states that have had elections so far?
CHALIAN: That's right, add them all up, the four early states, plus Super Tuesday. What we have been able to allocate tonight, 1,99a is what you need to win the Democratic nomination. Here's the scoreboard. Biden with 173. Sanders with 114. Pete Buttigieg had gotten 26 delegates before he dropped out. Elizabeth Warren with nine. Amy Klobuchar with seven. Michael Bloomberg with four, and Tulsi Gabbard with one.
BLITZER: Very, very interesting, indeed. Just minutes from now, polls close in California. That's the top Super Tuesday prize. Will we be able to project a winner? And Texas still close. We will see what happens in Texas. Those are the two biggest prizes. We'll find out after a break.
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[22:55:00]
BLITZER: We're closing in right now on the grand prize of the Super Tuesday at 11:00 Eastern. In a few minutes, voting ends in delegate rich California. The state has more delegates than any other with a whopping 415 at stake tonight. That's a huge portion of the 1,300-plus delegates the Democrats are competing for it tonight. About a third of all delegates. Jake, California is clearly a gold mine.
TAPPER: It is, in fact, a gold mine, Wolf, with all the candidates still in the hunt for delegates. California with its more than 400 is especially important. Bernie Sanders is counting on a win in California. He is hoping to boost his delegate count in a big way. Joe Biden is in California this evening. And he's hoping to stay competitive with Sanders in the more moderate or conservative pockets of the Golden State.
Now with so many delegates at stake, Mike Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard could also make gains and shrink the pool of delegates available to the leaders, Biden and Sanders. Let's go to Ryan Nobles now. He is covering Bernie Sanders. And Ryan, the Sanders campaign is filing a complaint to keep the polls opened longer in California.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGON CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's absolutely right, Jake. And it's indicative of just how important California has become to the Sanders' campaign, especially because of how bleak the rest of the map looks on this Super Tuesday. They not only need a win in California. They need a big win. And to that end they filed a complaint to keep some of the polling locations in Los Angeles County open later because the campaign was hearing reports of voters standing in line for as long as four hours at a time.
They want to be able to give every voter the opportunity to cast a ballot. Los Angeles County considered to be one of the most important areas for Bernie Sanders in California. Jake, they need every single vote they can in that county and in that state. And that's why they are taking this action. Jake.
TAPPER: People in lines for hours there in California. Let's go to Gary Tuchman, who is in Sacramento. Gary, tell us more.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jake, the polls closed in California less than five minutes but this poll here in Sacramento County, will not be closing in five minutes. Because there is still a long line and the law is that as long as are you in line before 8:00 Pacific Time, you will be able to vote.
And get a look at the folks in this line. At this point these people waited 45 minutes. Unfortunately here in Sacramento is an absolutely beautiful night to stand outside and wait to vote. Its 70 degrees. And it has been very busy here all day. It's very easy to vote in the state of California.
You don't need identification. You say your name, you say your address, you can vote with touch screen, you can vote with paper and pencil. You could also take your mail-in ballots, and drop it in and they make it very easy. And also, if you're not in and -- this is the end of the line. It's an honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, hey, hold on dad, I'm on the news.
TUCHMAN: He's talking to his dad, he's on the news on CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to get him here to come and vote.
TUCHMAN: OK. It closes in two minutes. Juts to come quick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never mind.
TUCHMAN: Never mind, for his dad. Either way people can come here and register when they walk in. They can even switch (inaudible) during the walk in. California makes it very easy, and they have been busy here all day. Jake, back to you.
TAPPER: All right, Gary Tuchman in Sacramento County, California. Wolf, over to you.
BLITZER: All right. Thanks very much. California, that's the big prize of the night, 415 delegates at stake. And what will you be looking for?
KING: Well, number one, you are looking for the math. Because as you know, it's the biggest prize of the night. Joe Biden have a good night so far. The question for Senator Sanders is in this biggest prize, 1344 at stake tonight. Look at that, more than a third, right there in California.
About a third of them right there in California, 48 percent between California and Texas. Sanders leading in Texas at the moment. But not by his bigger margin as he had hoped. We will see how the finals up and so we get out to California, can Bernie Sanders win and can he win big? This is the biggest math equation of the night. We should warn our
viewers. We'll get some votes late tonight into the early morning hours. Some of these counts could take several days, because of mail- in ballots in the like. So, what you are looking for?
Number one, the power of the Sanders campaign, they believe will be the Latino vote. The darker the shading, the higher the percentage of Latino voters in this county. And you see it throughout the state, certainly down here in southern California and all the way up to central and at the Latino vote is absolutely critical to Senator Sanders. We will watch as it plays out there tonight.
If you are Joe Biden, you are out there today, you're hoping some late endorsement help you, you're hoping to get the same kind of a boost you had in these other states, as you look out places where we did not expect Joe Biden to perform so well. Places like Minnesota, places like Oklahoma, places where you haven't campaign much. The question is, does this affect that we are seeing somewhere else in these other places carry over in California?
The basic population math, Wolf, is pretty simple, Los Angeles by far the largest part of the state. The question is down here and one of the things we are going to have to do much later in the night, after we get the votes throughout the state, then it goes through the Congressional districts. Because you have so many delegates at play here.
A little flashback to 2016. This was a Clinton state, 53 to 41. You see Senator Sanders though did it very well in the rural northern parts of the state, did do some well down here. This is one of the lessons, he has worked and worked Latino community over the years. The question is, he had a strong showing out here, four years ago. He needs a stronger showing and a win tonight and we'll start to get those votes, relatively soon.
BLITZER: We are going to see what happens over the next few seconds. We are watching very closely, the biggest Super Tuesday prize.
