Maine's primary a close race between Sanders, Biden

by Associated Press
| March 3, 2020 8:30 PM

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The first primary in Maine in 20 years yielded a tight race between Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Maine was one of the 14 states holding its Democratic primary on a day that was expected to bring clarity to a crowded field of candidates. The state last used primaries in 1996 and 2000 and then switched to the caucus system for the next four presidential election cycles.

The return to primaries, made through a legislative change, meant turnout was likely to be much higher than previous contests, said Mark Brewer, a political scientist with University of Maine. Sanders is popular in the state, but Biden had a chance to score a victory on the senator's turf in northern New England.

Maine’s primary apportions 24 delegates, a relatively small number, but the importance of winning the state can't be overlooked, Brewer said.

“It's a small number of delegates, but it matters. All delegates matter. Especially when you've got a race that is multi-headed," Brewer said. “It also matters because you want to be able to say how many states you won on Super Tuesday.”

The Sanders campaign picked up steam in the early primaries and caucuses, allowing the senator to establish himself as the front-runner heading into Super Tuesday. Sanders scored a particularly convincing win in the Feb. 22 Nevada caucus, allowing him to establish a slim lead in delegates. But former Vice President Joe Biden scored a huge victory in South Carolina and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren also picked up delegates in early contests.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made waves by qualifying for debates despite not appearing on the ballot in the earliest states. He was on the ballot in Maine, where he has had more of a campaign presence than the other Democrats in recent weeks.

Sanders won Maine's Democratic caucus over eventual nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. The state did not hold its caucus until a few days after Super Tuesday that year. The winner of the Republican caucus that year was Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.