The coronavirus crisis is upending the election

One of the four states that was supposed to hold its primary today, Ohio, postponed in-person voting to mitigate the spread of the virus, the other states employed hand sanitiser and social distancing tactics as an apparently low turnout of voters came to the polls, and Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders addressed supporters virtually without an audience to avoid any kind of large gathering.

Joe Biden’s lead now looks insurmountable

The former vice-president increased his all important delegate lead with sweeping victories in Florida, Illinois and Arizona. Looking at Florida alone, he appeared to be leading by about 39 points in the state, where 219 pledged delegates are up for grabs.

Sanders is facing intensifying calls to drop out of the race

A number of Democratic strategists have declared the nominating contest to be effectively over, and have suggested the Vermont senator should withdraw and allow Biden to focus on the November general election and the more immediate threat of the coronavirus public health emergency.

Biden made a pitch for unity in his primary-night speech

He called on Sanders’ supporters to “put politics aside”. Biden said he and Sanders share a “common vision” for America, arguing all Democrats need to rally together to defeat Donald Trump and be kind to one another during the pandemic.

Sanders addressed supporters early in the night and made no mention of tonight’s primaries

Instead, the Vermont senator focused on the proposals he would be submitting to Senate leadership to combat the coronavirus crisis and avoided discussing tonight’s results, leading some to wonder if Sanders similarly sees no path forward for his campaign.

Donald Trump is officially the Republican presidential nominee for 2020

His win in the Florida Republican primary gave the president the delegates he needs to his party’s nomination. Though he faced some challengers, none ever gained significant support, and there was almost no question that Trump would be the Republican candidate fighting the November election.