Primaries for the Democratic presidential nomination were held on Tuesday in 14 states and one territory, on the day known as “Super Tuesday”.
As of 11:15 p.m. EST, former US Vice President Joe Biden was the biggest winner, having been projected to win in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota and Massachusetts, in a blow to Elizabeth Warren in her home state.
Senator Bernie Sanders was projected to win the primaries in his home state of Vermont, where there are 16 delegates up for grabs, in addition to Colorado, Utah and California.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg won American Samoa, which has 6 delegates at stake.
In a speech to supporters in Vermont late on Tuesday night, Sanders vowed to win the Democratic nomination.
"You know, it's a funny thing, 31 years ago today we won the mayor race in Burlington, Vermont. And we won that race against all of the odds. Everybody said it couldn't be done. And when we began this race for the presidency, everybody said it couldn't be done," he said.
"But tonight I tell you with absolute confidence, we are going to win the Democratic nomination. And we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of the country," he added.
A source close to Bloomberg, meanwhile, said that he plans to reassess his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday following the lackluster showing in the Super Tuesday primaries.
Results showed the former mayor falling short of his expectations in states where he had made particularly high investments, including Virginia and North Carolina.
A total of 14 states are voting in the Democratic primaries on Super Tuesday, where one third of the delegates are allocated.
The number of pledged delegates required to secure the nomination is 1,991, more than half the total of 3,979 pledged delegates.
In Tennessee, several polling sites in areas that were impacted by deadly tornadoes will remain open longer than previously permitted during Super Tuesday.
Biden won the South Carolina primary this past Saturday, his first victory since voting began. It followed lackluster finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as a distant second-place showing in Nevada, where Sanders won.