Sanders, Biden close in Washington as primary too early to call

Washington state’s primary is unlikely to be called Tuesday night as an incredibly narrow margin separates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

With about 68 percent of precincts reporting, Biden led Sanders by just 60 votes in Washington’s primary, which will award a total of 89 delegates. 

The Associated Press indicated it will not call the race Tuesday and will instead look to daily updates provided by the state government.

All votes in the Evergreen State are cast either by mail or by dropping them off in a ballot box. After an initial update is provided on election night, election officials only provide an update once a day as they tally late-arriving ballots.

Washington’s primary will be a key test to see if Sanders can replicate some of his success from 2016, when he trounced Hillary Clinton in the state’s nominating contest.

Sanders has already suffered a trio of defeats Tuesday night, losing Missouri, Mississippi and the crucial state of Michigan to Biden, all by hefty margins.