Biden wins Alaska, first entirely mail-in primary amid coronavirus pandemic
And it was the first time Alaska held a primary, not a caucus.
Former Vice President Joe Biden secured the Alaska primary this weekend, garnering 11 more delegates. Less than one week after Senator Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign, Biden defeated Sanders 55.3% to 44.7%.
Alaska moved its primary from April 4 to April 10 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; the primary was conducted entirely by mail. The Last Frontier sent more than 71,000 ballots to registered Democrats, receiving approximately 19,000 back.
Hand in hand with this change, Alaska held primaries rather than caucuses for the first time; caucuses previously made it difficult for Alaskans in rural areas to vote.
“Our goal this year … was to enfranchise as many voters as possible, particularly those in rural Alaska who have been underrepresented in the past,” Democratic spokeswoman Jeanne Devon told the Washington Post. “The number of ballots we received is almost double the number of caucus-goers in 2016, so we are very pleased about that.”
Biden now has 1,228 of the 2,317 delegated. He needs 1,991 delegates to clinch the nomination, despite being the presumptive nominee.
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