Joe Biden has massive lead over Bernie Sanders in Florida

Early returns out of Florida show Joe Biden with a commanding lead over Bernie Sanders, as the two top Democrats continue to fight it out with results from three states expected Tuesday night. 

Biden had around a 40-point lead with nearly a quarter of Florida’s vote in.  

Super Tuesday III originally had primaries taking place in Florida, Arizona, Illinois and Ohio – but Ohio’s governor forced a last-minute postponement of in-person voting there due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.   

Florida, Illinois and Arizona still held primaries for president and other down-ballot races with election officials making changes to decrease the chances of voters and poll workers contracting the virus. 

Biden and Sanders have had to dramatically  curtail their campaign activity, subbing in technology for the gripping-and-grinning they would be doing on the trail. 

It hasn’t always gone smoothly.

‘Am I on camera?’ Biden asked during his campaign’s first attempt at a virtual town hall, which featured several sound snafus, guests that didn’t know they were live and blank screens for seconds at a time. 

In Florida, voters stand in line – though at a distance from one another – as they vote in Delray Beach at a polling location that was made available after several precincts were unable to open

Three states went ahead with voting Tuesday - Arizona, Illinois and Florida, while Ohio's governor postponed the primary until June 2

Three states went ahead with voting Tuesday – Arizona, Illinois and Florida, while Ohio’s governor postponed the primary until June 2 

Joe Biden's virtual town hall with Illinois voters on Friday didn't go as planned - with audio, snafus, blank screens and guests that didn't know they were being livestreamed

Joe Biden’s virtual town hall with Illinois voters on Friday didn’t go as planned – with audio, snafus, blank screens and guests that didn’t know they were being livestreamed 

Bernie Sanders' team has done a better job getting his events livestreamed, including his Monday night concert and rally, which featured him alone on this set talking to voters

Bernie Sanders’ team has done a better job getting his events livestreamed, including his Monday night concert and rally, which featured him alone on this set talking to voters 

This Illinois polling station was relocated from a nursing home to a fomer supermarket, allowing voters to observe proper 'social distancing' as they complete their ballots

This Illinois polling station was relocated from a nursing home to a fomer supermarket, allowing voters to observe proper ‘social distancing’ as they complete their ballots 

A polling worker (right) in Chicago wears gloves as a voter cast a vote in the state's primary election

A polling worker (right) in Chicago wears gloves as a voter cast a vote in the state’s primary election 

Voters in gloves and masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus leave a polling place in The Villages, Florida

Voters in gloves and masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus leave a polling place in The Villages, Florida 

Voters were still given 'I Voted' stickers at polling places Tuesday, but a number of other safety measures were taken in the three states that held primaries as part of Super Tuesday III

Voters were still given ‘I Voted’ stickers at polling places Tuesday, but a number of other safety measures were taken in the three states that held primaries as part of Super Tuesday III 

WHEN DO THE POLLS CLOSE? 

Arizona: 10 p.m. EST

Florida: 8 p.m. EST 

*Florida polls will begin closing at 7 p.m. EST  

Illinois: 8 p.m. EST

The Sanders campaign has had better luck – he’s the candidate that’s attracted the bulk of young voters, after all – as the Vermont senator has now held several virtual events including a concert Monday night and a ‘fireside chat’ on Saturday. 

Those two online events, as well as a pre-debate program the campaign held before Sanders and Biden faced off at the CNN headquarters Sunday night, attracted 5.3 million views the Sanders campaign said Tuesday. 

‘Our digital organizing infrastructure is unmatched, and in this moment of fear and uncertainty, we are proud to be able to speak directly to Americans and bring art, music and community into their homes,’ Sanders’ campign manager Faiz Shakir said in a statement. 

Sanders’ concert Monday night featured music from Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Neil Young, with a hello from his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, and the Free Nationals. James and the Free Nationals performed in an audience-less venue, while Young beamed in from his home.  

Despite being the more tech-savvy campaign, the delegate math makes it nearly impossible to yank away the Democratic nomination from Biden – who saw the moderate wing of the party coalesce around his candidacy in the wake of his 28.5 point win over Sanders in the South Carolina primary. 

Biden went on to win 10 of the 14 states that held contests on Super Tuesday. 

He also won five of the six states that held primaries one week ago, with Sanders only walking away with South Dakota. 

Michigan, which Biden won by 16.5 points, had been the last, best hope for Sanders to change the momentum in the race.   

A Biden campaign memo from Tuesday said that when the early vote and the vote by mail were included overall turnout in the Super Tuesday III states was roughly on pace in Arizona and Florida with what it was in 2016, and in Illinois when looking at the 2018 midterm numbers.  

‘Even if after tonight’s contests, Biden hasn’t significanly increased that lead, Sanders would need to win upcoming elections by an average of 15-20 points to overtake Biden in delegates,’ the note said. ‘It would take a drastic, historically-incomparable swing for Senator Sanders to win more delegates than Biden today or close the delegate differential.’       

Still, Sanders doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to exit the race stage-left. 

The primary has been eclipsed by the coronavirus crisis and what President Trump is doing from the White House.       

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk