Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic primary in California, taking the biggest prize of the Super Tuesday contests and securing a jolt of momentum after Joe Biden swept most of the Southern states and contests east of the Mississippi River.

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Minutes after polls closed in California, The Associated Press projected that Sanders defeated the former vice president, his biggest competitor in the race, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who also spent significant time campaigning in the state. California has the largest delegate haul on Super Tuesday, with 415 pledged delegates awarded proportionally to candidates who reach a 15% viability threshold.

Polls indicated that Sanders was primed for a big victory in the Golden State, though the most recent survey from a Democratic firm showed Biden closing the gap with the senator from Vermont. Sanders drew massive crowds in the days ahead of Tuesday's primary, with 17,000 people attending his Sunday rally at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Sanders' victory could buoy him in the race for the Democratic nomination, especially after Biden consolidated support from much of the party following his decisive win in last weekend's South Carolina primary . Biden easily claimed many of the Southern states and some Midwestern contests, while Sanders won the primaries in Colorado, Utah and Vermont.