Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. prevailed over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont with commanding victories in the Democratic presidential primaries in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho.
The results set Mr. Biden up as the clear favorite for the Democratic nomination. While Mr. Sanders cannot be mathematically eliminated in the delegate race on Tuesday night, his path to success has narrowed to a sliver.
Mr. Biden struck notes of unity in a speech in Philadelphia, thanking Mr. Sanders and his supporters “for their tireless energy and their passion.” He added, “We share a common goal, and together, we’ll defeat Donald Trump.”
Mr. Sanders has a chance to make up some ground in North Dakota and Washington State, which held nominating contests as well, but those races have not yet been called.
. . .
That same pattern held in Missouri, where Mr. Sanders lost by less than half a percentage point in 2016 but by double digits on Tuesday: Among white men, he went from a 23-point victory to a four-point loss.
And that points to a sobering possibility for Mr. Sanders: That in some places, his victories in 2016 were driven less by support for him than by opposition — some of it probably gender-driven — to Mrs. Clinton.
