Biden wins Ohio primary

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Ohio primary easily on Tuesday, defeating Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who suspended his campaign earlier this month.

The race was called shortly after polls closed, with tallies showing Biden with more than 72 percent of the vote in Ohio, the latest Midwestern state to be won by the former vice president. Sanders came in second at roughly 16 percent.

Ohio has trended Republican recently, with President Trump winning the state by 8 points in 2016. But former President Obama, with Biden as his running mate, won the Buckeye State in 2008 and 2012.

Biden essentially locked up the Democratic 2020 nomination after Sanders, his sole remaining competitor, suspended his campaign. However, the Vermont lawmaker has said he intends to keep his name on the remaining primary ballots to try to win more delegates, who can ultimately influence the party’s platform at its convention this summer.

Ohio’s primary, originally slated for March 17, was delayed because of fears over the coronavirus and emerged as a test of how the state would grapple with an election held almost completely by mail.

While large disruptions appear to have been avoided, overall turnout in the race appeared to drop from 2016. The Ohio secretary of state’s office reported that 1.5 million votes had been cast as of midday Saturday, a noticeable decline from the 3.2 million who voted in 2016.

Several states are eyeing boosting mail efforts ahead of the general election in November, with many keeping tabs on how smoothly states are able to run primary races conducted mostly by mail. However, Republicans, led by President Trump, have expressed concerns over the prospect, citing unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.