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THIS PRIMARY DOESN’T HAVE THAT. FOR ANALYSIS AND CONTEXT OF THIS DEMOCRATIC SHOWDOWN, WE BRING IN OUR POLITICAL REPORTER MICHAEL MAHONEY. LARA: A HUGE KNIFE OR JOE BIDEN. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? MICHEAL: IT LOOKS LIKE JOE BIDEN WILL TAKING A STEP TO MAKE HIMSELF ON A GLIDE PATH TO THE NOMINATION THIS EVENING. THE FACT MISSOURI AND MISSISSIPPI WERE CALLED WITHIN MINUTES OF THE POLLS CLOSING HAVE THE EXIT POLLS SHOWING A DOMINANT PERFORMANCE BY BIDEN HERE AND IN MISSISSPPI. THE STATES IN BLUE ARE WHERE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE DECLARED JOE BIDEN VICTORIOUS TONIGHT. THE BIG ONE IS UP IN MICHIGAN TONIGHT. NATIONAL NEWS ORGANIZATIONS PROJECTING BIDEN TO WIN MICHIGAN, A STATE BERNIE SANDERS WON FOUR YEARS AGO AND NEEDED TONIGHT. HE DID NOT NEED IT. -- GET IT. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT COMEBACK STORIES IN MODERN AMERICAN POLITICS IN EITHER PARTY. BIDEN’S RIVALS COULD NOT KNOCK HIM OUT IN THE EARLY STATES. HIS FIREWALL IN THE SOUTH HELD IN DEMOCRATIC MODERATES HAVE FALLEN IN LINE BEHIND HIM. HE’S BUILDING HIS DELEGATE LEAD TONIGHT. IT’S LIKELY NOW, THERE WILL BE CALLS FOR BERNIE SANDERS TO REASSESS WHETHER OR NOT HE STILL HAS A FEASIBLE PATH TO THE NOMINATION. SANDER’S QUESTS FOR THE WHITE HOUSE HAVE REORDERED HOW DEMOCRATS THINK ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES. HIS CAMPAIGN GENERATES SOME INTENSE ENTHUSIASM, BUT HE HAS NOT LEAD HIS SUPPORTERS TO DRAMATIC INCREASES IN TURN OUT THAT DROVE THE PRIMARY PROCESS FOUR YEARS AGO, AND REMEMER, HE LOST MISSOURI TO HILLARY CLINTON BY AN EYELASH IN 2016. HE IS UNABLE TO REPEAT THAT TONIGHT IN MISSOURI. THE FULL MISSOURI DELGATE ALLOCATIONS WON’T BE KNOWN FOR DAYS BECAUSE THE STATE IS NOT CALCULATING THE RESULTS BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS. THAT’S HOW DEMOCRATS DIVIDE HALF OF THEIR 68 DELEGATES

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Missouri went to the polls on Tuesday to vote in the 2020 Presidential Preferential Primary elections. KMBC 9 is tracking all of the headlines on primary day:9:11 P.M. UPDATEJoe Biden won the Democratic primary in Missouri on Tuesday, adding to momentum that began on Super Tuesday while consolidating support among moderate voters in crucial conservative-leaning states. Biden defeated Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Missouri in his push for the chance to face Republican President Donald Trump in November.The candidate's ability to beat Trump was seen as vital by Missouri's Democratic primary voters, according to a poll of 1,858 voters in Missouri conducted by AP VoteCast for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago. About 9 in 10 voters said it was very important to pick a nominee who could beat the president.Black Missouri voters were especially supportive of Biden - about three quarters picked him over Sanders. Among them was Keith Williams, 72, of Ferguson. He voted for Biden, even though he fears it won’t matter in the fall election.“I’ll vote for Biden in November, but I don’t think Trump will lose,” Williams, shaking his head, said.But another black voter, 70-year-old Charles Jones of Jefferson City, felt better about Biden, saying he believes he can unify a fractured nation.“He’s just a down-home man,” Jones said. “I trust him.” The Associated Press called the Missouri race at poll closing, before any results were released, because the AP VoteCast survey showed Biden with a wide lead. It also showed the lead was spread through all parts of the state, among both men and women, as well as among both white voters and African American voters. The AP also called Mississippi for Biden at poll closing.Things didn't always go smoothly at election sites across Missouri. A polling place in St. Louis had to relocate after a man who had just voted backed his vehicle into the building and went back inside and knocked over equipment. St. Louis County had polling site equipment problems. The mayor of Kansas City reported trouble - with his own ballot.No one was hurt in the incident in St. Louis and the man was taken into custody, but it took nearly an hour before voters could be redirected to another polling place, the city's election director, Gary Stoff, said.“I don’t think there was anything about his voting -- at least he didn’t give any indication - that caused him to explode the way he did,” Stoff said. “Right now, we really don't know why.”Election Day got off to a rough start in St. Louis County, Missouri's most populous county, when the electronic poll books, used to check people in, had trouble syncing with the county's system. The problem was compounded with some poll workers failed to switch to a manual system to print ballots.The problems were apparently resolved within the first hour, but some voters turned away in frustration without casting ballots. Stream estimated that at least 50 of the county's roughly 400 polling sites were impacted.“They got flustered," said St. Louis County Election Director Rick Stream. “Voters left, they had to go to work. That's on us, we should have had everything working properly.”Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he struggled to vote at his polling site because workers couldn't find his name on the voter registration list. He said it turned out that his name had been entered backwards - with his last name listed as his first name.Missouri, Michigan and Mississippi - where Biden claimed victories Tuesday - were among six states holding presidential primaries, along with Idaho, North Dakota and Washington. Biden was looking to build upon the momentum from last week's primary victories in what has become essentially a head-to-head battle with Sanders.Patrick Sanders, a 22-year-old college student in Kansas City, said he voted for the presidential candidate with his same last name, partly because of his ideas for expanding health care coverage.“There is a shot with him of something that is different, that is much more hopeful than what we have now," Sanders said. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination could face an uphill battle to carry Missouri in November against Trump. The last Democrat to carry Missouri was President Bill Clinton, in 1996. Barack Obama narrowly lost in Missouri in 2008, but the state has turned decidedly Republican since then. Mitt Romney carried Missouri by 9 percentage points in 2012, and Trump won the state by 19 percentage points on the way to victory in 2016.Concerns about the coronavirus forced some late scrambling in Kansas City and St. Louis County, when two senior living facilities backed out of serving as voting sites less than 24 hours before the polls opened. Election authorities posted signs at the facilities redirecting voters to a nearby church in Kansas City and a union hall in the St. Louis suburbs.About 150 of the 3,200 poll workers in St. Louis County canceled shortly before the election because of coronavirus concerns, as did 77 of the roughly 800 poll workers in Kansas City, local election officials said. Some polling places provided hand sanitizer for voters and stocked up on disinfectant wipes for the equipment and pens. Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller said special gloves were available for people to sign in or vote on touchscreens, and voters also were welcome to bring their own pens to mark paper ballots. “We want them to feel comfortable exercising the right to vote," Schoeller said.7:32 P.M. UPDATEAs expected, President Donald Trump has won the Missouri Republican Preferential Primary.The Associated Press made the call for Trump 32 minutes after the polls closed at 7 p.m. in the Show-Me State.Republican delegates are winner-take-all if a candidate secures more than half of the vote. Early results indicate Trump is winning in a landslide, so he is expected to secure all 54 delegates.7:13 P.M. UPDATEMissouri voters on Tuesday picked Joe Biden as their choice to face off against Republican President Donald Trump in November.The former vice president’s win over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders highlights his strength in the Midwest and in conservative-leaning states such as Missouri.Problems with polling site equipment in Missouri's most populous county led some voters to turn away in frustration Tuesday without casting ballots.After a rough start that affected at least the first hour of voting, St. Louis County election officials had reported no additional issues with their new equipment. But in the city of St. Louis, a polling place had to be closed after a man who had just voted backed his vehicle into the building, re-entered and began knocking over equipment.No one was injured in the incident and police took the man into custody, but it took nearly an hour before voters could be redirected to another polling place, said St. Louis Election Director Gary Stoff.“I don’t think there was anything about his voting -- at least he didn’t give any indication - that caused him to explode the way he did,” Stoff said. “Right now, we really don't know why.”It's unclear whether the unusual incident scared anyone away from voting. But earlier in the day, some voters did walk away after St. Louis County's electronic poll books, which are used to check in people, had trouble syncing with the county's system. The problem was compounded when some poll workers failed to switch to a manual system to print ballots.“They got flustered," said St. Louis County Election Director Rick Stream. “Voters left, they had to go to work. That's on us, we should have had everything working properly.”Stream estimated that people had reported problems from at least 50 of the county's roughly 400 polling sites. He said problems could have occurred at more sites but just not been reported.Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also reported voting problems in his city - with his own ballot. Lucas said he struggled to vote at his polling site because workers couldn't find his name on the voter registration list. He said it turned out that his name had been entered backwards - with his last name listed as his first name.Despite some glitches, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said the primary election had gone fairly well, overall.Missouri was among several states holding presidential primaries on Tuesday, along with Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota and Washington. Former Vice President Biden was looking to build upon the momentum from last week's primary victories in what has become essentially a head-to-head battle with Vermont Sen. Sanders.But Missouri has a recent history of close Democratic primaries. In 2016, Sanders lost by fewer than 2,000 votes to eventual Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.Some Missouri voters who cast ballots for Biden said they were doing so because they believed he could match up better against Republican President Donald Trump.“The number one issue for me is electability, and I think Biden has a better chance of defeating Trump,” said Donald Lancasty, a 69-year-old retiree who voted Tuesday at a church across from the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.Keith Williams, a 72-year-old Ferguson resident, also voted for Biden, citing his experience and likability. He’s not so sure Biden, or anyone, will beat Trump, though.“I’ll vote for Biden in November, but I don’t think Trump will lose,” said Williams, shaking his head.Patrick Sanders, a 22-year-old English student at the Kansas City university, said he voted for the presidential candidate with his same last name, partly because of his ideas for expanding health care coverage.“There is a shot with him of something that is different, that is much more hopeful than what we have now," Sanders said.Concerns about the coronavirus forced some late scrambling of plans in Kansas City and St. Louis County, when two senior living facilities backed out of serving as voting sites less than 24 hours before the polls opened. Election authorities posted signs at the facilities redirecting voters to a nearby church in Kansas City and a union hall in the St. Louis suburbs. About 150 of the 3,200 poll workers in St. Louis County canceled shortly before the election because of coronavirus concerns, as did 77 of the roughly 800 poll workers in Kansas City, local election officials said.Some polling places provided hand sanitizer for voters and stocked up on disinfectant wipes for the equipment and pens. Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller said special gloves were available for people to sign in or vote on touchscreens, and voters also were welcome to bring their own pens to mark paper ballots.“We want them to feel comfortable exercising the right to vote," Schoeller said.Whoever wins the Missouri primary could face an uphill battle to carry the state in November against Trump. The last Democrat to carry Missouri was President Bill Clinton, in 1996. Barack Obama narrowly lost in Missouri in 2008, but the state has turned decidedly Republican since then. Mitt Romney carried Missouri by 9 percentage points in 2012, and Trump won the state by 19 percentage points on the way to victory in 2016.Missouri was long considered a bellwether state until the recent trend. Missouri voted for the winning presidential candidate every time but once in the 1900s, missing only in 1956 when it picked Democrat Adlai Stevenson instead of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower.7:01 P.M. UPDATEAccording to the Associated Press, Joe Biden has won the Democratic presidential primary in Missouri.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Mobile users click here to view Missouri's presidential preferential primary election results.7 P.M. UPDATEPolls are now closed in Missouri’s Presidential Primary, but if you are in line you can still vote. You can view the results as they come in below.6:20 P.M. UPDATEProblems with polling site equipment in Missouri's most populous county led some voters to turn away in frustration Tuesday without casting ballots in a presidential primary that figured to further define the Democratic race between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. After a rough start that affected at least the first hour of voting, St. Louis County election officials had reported no additional issues with their new equipment. But in the city of St. Louis, a polling place had to be closed after a man who had just voted backed his vehicle into the building, re-entered and began knocking over equipment. No one was injured in the incident and police took the man into custody, but it took nearly an hour before voters could be redirected to another polling place, said St. Louis Election Director Gary Stoff.“I don’t think there was anything about his voting -- at least he didn’t give any indication - that caused him to explode the way he did,” Stoff said. “Right now, we really don't know why.”5 P.M. UPDATEVoters in Missouri’s Democratic primary ranked health care as the most important issue facing the country, well above climate change, the economy, race relations, foreign policy and many other social issues.Close to half named health care, an issue that has intensely divided the field of Democratic candidates. Roughly 2 in 10 had climate change on their minds, according to a wide-ranging AP VoteCast survey of the Democratic primary electorate in Missouri.Here’s a snapshot of Democratic voters in Missouri - who they are and what matters to them - based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a survey of 1,821 voters, conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.DO THEY WANT A BIG CHANGE? Voters in Missouri’s Democratic primary were somewhat more likely to say they wanted a candidate who would bring fundamental change to Washington over one who would restore the political system to how it was before Donald Trump was elected in 2016.WHAT ELSE VOTERS WANT About 9 in 10 said it was very important that a nominee can beat Trump. About 8 in 10 considered it highly important that the candidate is a strong leader and cares about people like them.Roughly 7 in 10 said a nominee should have “the right experience.”Having the best policy ideas and being willing to work across the aisle was considered very significant for a Democratic nominee by about 6 in 10 voters.LARGELY UNIFIED AGAINST TRUMP A wide majority say they will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate against Trump in the general election. Still, about 2 in 10 say their decision will depend on which Democrat is on the ballot in November.PRIMARY PROCESS SKEPTICISM Voters are generally confident that the Democratic Party’s nomination process is fair. Still, just about a quarter say they are very confident that the process for selecting a presidential nominee is fair. Roughly 3 in 10 have little to no confidence, while about 4 in 10 say they are somewhat confident.DEBATING HEALTH CAREThe campaign has featured a contentious debate among candidates over the best way to tackle health care, an issue seen as the most important facing the country by roughly half of voters.There is majority support for a government-run health care system for all Americans, with about two-thirds of voters saying they are in favor. Roughly 3 in 10 are opposed.But support for a public option, where every American could buy into a government-run insurance plan if they wanted to, is even higher. Close to 9 in 10 are in favor.About 6 in 10 voters are in favor of either proposal, while roughly a quarter say they favor a public option but oppose a single-payer system.CLIMATE CHANGE, THE ECONOMY AND OTHER ISSUESRoughly 2 in 10 voters said climate change is the most important issue facing the nation. A wide majority - about three-quarters - expressed support for a tax on the use of carbon-based fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas .About 1 in 10 called the economy the top issue. A significant majority described the economic system in this country as unfair. That includes about 4 in 10 who said it’s very unfair.Small shares of voters considered race relations, immigration, gun policy or abortion most important.4:45 P.M. UPDATEKansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas reported voting problems in his city - with his own ballot. Lucas said he struggled to vote at his polling site because workers couldn't find his name on the voter registration list. He said it turned out that his name had been entered backward -- with his last name listed as his first name.Lucas made a video for his social media accounts promoting the importance of voting on primary day, only to find himself unable to vote.Lucas tweeted about the incident saying he was told he was turned away because he wasn't in the system, despite having voted at that location for 11 years, including for himself four times."If the mayor can get turned away, think about everyone else," he said in the tweet. "We gotta do better."Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said the mayor's account of the polling incident is "inaccurate.""He declined the have the supervisor fix the problem," Ashcroft said. "He declined to vote a provisional ballot. He is making a mockery of our election system."ORIGINAL STORYMissouri's presidential primary got off to a rough start Tuesday for some voters, as problems with electronic equipment in the state's most populous cities led some people to give up and head to work without casting their ballots. Election officials in St. Louis County said their electronic poll books, which are used to check in people, had trouble syncing with their system. That meant they could not print out tickets, which are scanned to print out ballots for each voter. The problem was compounded when some poll workers failed to switch to a manual system to print ballots.“They got flustered," said Rick Stream, a Republican who is one of two election directors in St. Louis County. “Voters left, they had to go to work. That's on us, we should have had everything working properly.”It's unclear how many voters gave up. But the problems, which lasted for at least the first hour of voting, appeared widespread. Stream estimated that people had reported problems from at least 50 of the county's roughly 400 polling sites. He said problems could have occurred at more sites but not reported.Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also reported voting problems in his city - with his own ballot. Lucas said he struggled to vote at his polling site because workers couldn't find his name on the voter registration list. He said it turned out that his name had been entered backward -- with his last name listed as his first name.Lucas made a video for his social media accounts promoting the importance of voting on primary day, only to find himself unable to vote.Lucas tweeted about the incident saying he was told he was turned away because he wasn't in the system, despite having voted at that location for 11 years, including for himself four times."If the mayor can get turned away, think about everyone else," he said in the tweet. "We gotta do better."Missouri is among several states holding presidential primaries on Tuesday. Former Vice President Joe Biden was looking to build upon the momentum from last week's primary victories in what has become essentially a head-to-head battle with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.But Missouri has a recent history of close Democratic primaries. In 2016, Sanders lost by fewer than 2,000 votes to eventual Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.Voters were urged to take extra precautions Tuesday because of concerns about COVID-19, the new coronavirus. Some polling places provided hand sanitizer for voters and stocked up on disinfectant wipes for the equipment and pens. Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller said special gloves were available for people to sign in or vote on touchscreens, and voters also were welcome to bring their own pens to mark paper ballots. “We want them to feel comfortable exercising the right to vote," Schoeller said.Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota and Washington state also were holding presidential primaries Tuesday. Some Missouri voters who cast ballots for Biden said they were doing so because they believed he could match up better against Republican President Donald Trump. “The number one issue for me is electability, and I think Biden has a better chance of defeating Trump,” said Donald Lancasty, a 69-year-old retiree who voted Tuesday at a church across from the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City . Patrick Sanders, a 22-year-old English student at the university, said he voted for the presidential candidate with his same last name, partly because of his ideas for expanding health care coverage. “There is a shot with him of something that is different, that is much more hopeful than what we have now," Sanders said. Whoever wins the Missouri primary faces an uphill battle to carry the state in November against Trump. The last Democrat presidential nominee to carry Missouri was President Bill Clinton, in 1996. Barack Obama narrowly lost in Missouri in 2008, but the state has turned decidedly Republican since then. Mitt Romney carried Missouri by 9 percentage points in 2012, and Trump won the state by 19 percentage points on the way to victory in 2016.Missouri was long considered a bellwether state until the recent trend. Missouri voted for the winning presidential candidate every time but once in the 1900s, missing only in 1956 when it picked Democrat Adlai Stevenson instead of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower.Biden started as the early front-runner nationally but was declared all but finished before rebounding with a much stronger than expected showing during last week's elections.Biden and Sanders have been largely cordial. Biden, without naming Sanders, has taken aim at Sanders’ frequent contention that Biden is beholden to the party establishment.Sanders, at a rally in St. Louis on Monday, shot back at those who say Biden is more electable, saying it’s the enthusiasm and excitement of his campaign that will bring out more voters in November to defeat Trump.University of Missouri-St. Louis political scientist Dave Robertson said a surge toward Biden in the Midwest could indicate good things for the Democrats in November “because we might get a pattern with white working-class voters coming back to the Democrats to some extent." “If Biden has a pretty big margin and it’s a big-time vote, it could indicate that white working-class voters are coming back to a moderate in the Democratic Party," he said.