March 10 primary elections in 6 states

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are facing off in six primaries on Tuesday, March 10, their first big test since Super Tuesday. Of the delegates awarded so far, Biden has 648 delegates and Sanders has 563.

Voters will go to the polls in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington. Michigan, which offers the most delegates tonight — 125 — will be closely watched. It’s a state Sanders won by 1.5 points in 2016, despite polls showing Hillary Clinton with a double-digit lead going into the primary. In the general election, the state swung for Donald Trump, the first time a Republican had won the state since 1988.

A Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll conducted in the days leading up to Super Tuesday showed Biden leading Sanders by 7 points in Michigan. A Monmouth University poll released Monday showed Biden with a 15-point lead in the state.

After Biden’s strong win in South Carolina on February 29, he swept 11 out of 14 states on Super Tuesday, although Sanders won big in California, the state with the largest number of delegates.

Tulsi Gabbard, meanwhile, remains in the race despite only winning two delegates so far.

Coronavirus and primary day 

In Michigan, the biggest prize of the day, there are no coronavirus cases, so fear of COVID-19 is not expected to have a big impact here. Washington, which has suffered the highest number of deaths from the disease, votes by mail.

Election workers in Washington are being advised to wear gloves when opening the ballots.

Sanders and Biden have both been holding rallies in states holding voting contests. Some elected officials have expressed concern about this. California Congresswoman Jackie Speier called on all candidates to stop holding large-scale public events and rallies. Citing the CDC’s guidance against congregating in large groups, she called on candidates to “lead by example” and stop holding the rallies.

Biden is expected to stop shaking hands on ropelines but has no plans to slow down his campaign. Sanders said that his campaign does not hold rallies without first consulting with local health officials. He has not said whether he is taking any specific precautions himself
Both campaigns are offering plenty of hand sanitizer at rallies.

How to watch Tuesday election results

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2020.
Time: Polls start closing at 8 p.m. ET.
Live stream results and analysis: On WINK News and WINK News app
Live updates: Follow along with the CBSNews.com.
Download the free WINK News app for complete coverage of the 2020 presidential race.

What time do polls close?

Voters will go to the polls from Michigan to Idaho. Here is a breakdown by state of what time polls will close:

Idaho: 10 p.m. ET (in Idaho’s nine northern counties, polls will close at 11 p.m. ET)
Michigan: 8 p.m. ET (in four Michigan counties, polls will close at 9 p.m. ET)
Mississippi: 8 p.m. ET
Missouri: 8 p.m. ET
North Dakota: Poll hours vary by county — all polls will close by 10 p.m. ET
Washington: 11 p.m. ET

Sanders and Biden tangle over trade in Rust Belt

There’s a trade war raging between the top two Democratic presidential contenders. Since Super Tuesday narrowed the field to two main candidates last week, Bernie Sanders has made it a point at campaign stops to list the areas where he and Joe Biden disagree. Trade has taken center stage this week, as the two men fight for delegates in the industrial Midwest.

Though neither candidate has released a detailed trade policy, a decisive primary win in Michigan on Tuesday or next week in Ohio could signal how the Democratic Party will approach trade and the nation’s economic agenda.

Across one of the nation’s most iconic manufacturing states, Sanders has been taking swipes at Biden’s positions on trade. He slammed then-Senator Biden’s support of the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which eliminated most tariffs between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and the 2000 China Trade Bill, which reinstated permanent and normal trade relations with China. Sanders voted against both measures as a House member and continues to rail against the policies today, a point highlighted by a Sanders ad, “Decimated,” that’s up in every March 10th and March 17th primary state.

New poll has big lead for Biden in Michigan

A Monmouth University poll of likely Democratic voters in Michigan released Monday had Biden with 51%, Sanders with 36% and Gabbard with 1%.

Biden led with white voters, 50% to 36%, and among other races 53% to 36%. Among voters over age 50, Biden led 62% to 24%, but among voters 49 and under, Sanders led 49% to 39%. Among men, Sanders led 49% to 39%, but among women, Biden led 53% to 33%.

“Biden appears to have the advantage because he is doing well among some groups that Sanders won four years ago. But as we learned in 2016, Michigan can defy expectations,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Both Democrats led President Trump among registered voters. Biden holds a 48% to 41% edge over Mr. Trump while Sanders has a similar 46% to 41% lead.

Among Michigan voters who report having voted for Trump four years ago, 90% intend to stick with the president this year, while 5% said they would vote for Biden. In the matchup against Sanders, this split stands at 91% for Trump to 5% for Sanders. Among those who voted for Hillary Clinton in the last general election, 92% say they would vote for Biden to 2% for Trump in the first hypothetical matchup, while it is 87% for Sanders to 3% for Trump in the second.