Biden wins Illinois primary

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Illinois primary Tuesday night, notching his latest victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Associated Press called the race for Biden shortly before 8:30 p.m. EDT, adding to his delegate advantage after winning the Florida primary as well.

Illinois has 155 delegates to award, the second-largest prize of the three states voting Tuesday. With about 4 percent of precincts reporting, Biden had about 60 percent of the votes, compared with roughly 32 percent for Sanders.

Biden’s win in the Prairie State and his thumping of Sanders in Florida — which has 219 delegates up for grabs — will greatly boost a delegate lead that is becoming increasingly insurmountable. The former vice president entered Tuesday with a lead of 154 pledged delegates.

Polling had shown Biden with strong leads in Illinois heading into the primary. Sanders came within 2 points of Hillary Clinton in the state in the 2016 primary.

Arizona is the third state voting Tuesday, with polls set to close at 10 p.m. EDT. Biden is favored to win that state as well.