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Reality Check: The Unexpected 'Biden Bounce'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party says former Vice President Joe Biden won more than half of the state's 75 delegates.

Biden captured 38 delegates on Super Tuesday. Bernie Sanders took 27, and Elizabeth Warren received 10.

That's just one remarkable factoid from Biden's unexpected victory. He went from zero to hero, with a surprising Minnesota win without visiting the state even once. He was a distant fourth place in pre-election polls, before Sen. Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race and endorsed him.

"We won Minnesota because of Amy Klobuchar," Biden said.

Super Tuesday exit polls show Biden's Minnesota campaign got "Klobo-charged."

Joe Biden
(credit: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

READ MORE: Minnesota Super Tuesday Primary Turnout Pegged At Nearly 22%

Fifty-eight-percent of Minnesota Democrats said they made up their minds after Klobuchar dropped out, and 53% of them went for Biden over Bernie, who only got 19%.

Sanders surprisingly underperformed in the state he won just four years ago, losing seven of eight Congressional districts. Even Klobuchar, out of the race, won more counties than Sanders.

President Donald Trump taunted Sanders on Twitter, claiming Elizabeth Warren cost him Minnesota. That's true if 100% of Warren's votes went to Sanders, which is highly improbable.

Minnesota Primary Final Vote Totals

  • Biden: 287,476
  • Sanders: 222,594
  • Warren: 114,782

Multiple polls show Warren voters' second choices were split among Sanders, Klobuchar or Biden.

The "Biden bounce" made Minnesota March Madness history, with 744,000 voters coming out on Super Tuesday. That's up 264% over 2016.

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