DETROIT (AP) -- The Latest on the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries (all times local):
9:25 p.m.
The Associated Press declared Joe Biden the winner of Michigan's Democratic presidential primary Tuesday using a combination of early vote returns and its AP VoteCast survey of voters in the state.
Michigan stretches across two time zones, which means there's an hour in which officials in most of the state are counting votes as a few counties in the state's Upper Peninsula are still casting ballots.
The AP called the race just a few minutes after polls closed at 9 p.m. ET in Michigan, after that first hour of results showed Biden ahead of Bernie Sanders. Those early returns also matched the results of AP VoteCast, the news agency's wide-ranging survey of the American electorate.
VoteCast showed Biden holding a solid lead over Bernie Sanders in Michigan's Democratic primary. The poll showed Biden winning among men and women, as well as white voters and African Americans. More Democratic primary voters thought he, rather than Sanders, is more likely to beat Donald Trump come November.
AP VoteCast is conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for The Associated Press and Fox News.
9:05 p.m.
Joe Biden has won Michigan's Democratic presidential primary.
Michigan was the largest of the six states voting Tuesday, with 125 pledged delegates at stake.
Biden emphasized the Obama administration's bailout of the auto industry, which saved thousands of jobs. He also counted on continued strong support among African American voters.
Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in Michigan's 2016 Democratic presidential primary. Losing the state this year may greatly diminish his chances at the nomination.
Many voters are already looking ahead to November and whether President Donald Trump can again win in the state that, perhaps more than any other, catapulted him into the White House in 2016.
8:05 p.m.
As soon as polls closed in Mississippi and Missouri at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, The Associated Press declared Joe Biden the winner in both states' Democratic presidential primary.
The AP called Biden the winner over Bernie Sanders even though state officials had yet to release any results from Tuesday's election. The news agency did so based on results from AP VoteCast, its wide-ranging survey of the American electorate. That election research captures the views of voters on whom they vote for, and why.
The VoteCast survey showed Biden with a wide lead in both states. Importantly, Biden was leading in all parts of both states. He led among both men and women, as well as among both white voters and African American voters.
Black voters have powered Biden to wins in several states to date in the Democratic primaries, including his touchstone victory in South Carolina late last month.
In both Mississippi and Missouri on Tuesday, Biden dominated among African Americans -- winning the support of close to three-quarters of African Americans in both states.
Democratic primary voters in Missouri and Mississippi were more likely to think Biden rather than Sanders could defeat Donald Trump in November.
AP VoteCast is conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for The Associated Press and Fox News.
8 p.m.
Joe Biden has won the Democratic presidential primaries in Missouri and Mississippi.
Missouri has 68 delegates at stake. Mississippi has 36 pledged delegates at stake.
Missouri is among the more conservative of the six states holding Democratic primaries Tuesday. All but one of the statewide elected officials are Republicans. The Democratic presidential candidate faces an uphill battle to carry Missouri in November against President Donald Trump, who won the state by 19 percentage points in 2016.
Joe Biden campaigned in Mississippi on Sunday, working to shore up support among African Americans, who make up 38% of Mississippi's population and an even larger share of the Democratic electorate. Bernie Sanders canceled a plan to appear Friday in Jackson so he could campaign in Michigan, which is also holding a primary Tuesday.
8 p.m.
Polls are beginning to close as six states hold primaries or caucuses to help determine the Democratic presidential nominee who will go up against President Donald Trump in November.
Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington state are voting Tuesday. Polls closed in Mississippi and Missouri at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Former Vice President Joe Biden took the lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the delegate count after last week's Super Tuesday, when 14 states and American Samoa voted. Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is the only other Democratic candidate remaining in the race.
It's a critical point in the Democratic race. Biden is looking to cement his front-runner status, while Sanders is in an urgent fight to turn things around. The primary calendar is quickly shifting to states that could favor Biden and narrow his path to the nomination.
7:20 p.m.
Democratic front-runners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders will debate as scheduled Sunday in Arizona amid the coronavirus outbreak -- but without a live audience.
The Democratic National Committee says it is making the move "at the request of both campaigns and out of an abundance of caution."
DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa says local public health officials had advised that the debate could continue as planned.
Both Biden and Sanders cancelled their election night events Tuesday in Ohio amid concerns about the epidemic.
