During CNN ‘s election coverage Tuesday night, sometimes called Super Tuesday II, network host Wolf Blitzer found himself in the middle of a graphic that mistakenly called Bernie Sanders as the projected winner of the Mississippi Democratic primary, as reported by Mediaite .
“We have our first projection of the night,” Blitzer said before realizing the mistake on the graphic behind him.
“Bernie Sanders…not, not, not happening right now. Joe Biden, Joe Biden is the winner of Mississippi. There we have it right there.”
At this point, the screen behind Blitzer went black before showing Joe Biden as the winner for a brief moment, until it again went black.
“There we have it right…oh, can you see it? Maybe you can’t see it,” Blitzer continued. “We’ll fix that technical problem. But the most important thing is Joe Biden is the winner, Joe Biden is the winner in Mississippi.”
As reported by CNBC , NBC News projected that Biden will win 21 of Mississippi’s 36 delegates. The former vice president reportedly trounced Sanders among both the state’s black electorate and voters over the age of 45. Specifically, Biden won 84 percent of black voters, who make up nearly two-thirds of the state, while Sanders gained the support of only 13 percent. Among voters over 45, Biden earned 86 percent of the votes while Sanders earned 12.
Before the election, Biden gained the support of many Mississippi elected officials, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, as well as 16 members of the state’s Senate Democratic Caucus.
. @CNN mistakenly put a graphic up saying Bernie Sanders was projected to win Mississippi. Bit of a rough start on coverage. pic.twitter.com/dyNMX5myfh
— Katherine Klingseis (@Katkling) March 11, 2020
As reported by The Hill , exit polls suggested that 75 percent of voters in The Hospitality State believe Biden has the best grasp of the concerns of people of color. In addition, the state’s Democratic electorate swings conservative, with 50 percent describing themselves as moderates, 35 as somewhat liberal, and 25 percent as very liberal, suggesting the majority of voters are not aligned with the Vermont senator’s platform.
Aside from Mississippi, the states of Idaho, Missouri, Michigan, Washington, and North Dakota are also holding elections on Tuesday. As of now, NBC News projected that Biden will win Missouri, as reported by CNBC .
Biden’s victories come after award-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald suggested that former President Barack Obama was the unseen hand that ensured the Democratic Party rallied around the 77-year-old politician. The former vice president’s wins also come despite concerns of his mental fitness, which were voiced early on in the primary by Julian Castro, Tim Ryan, and Cory Booker , the latter of whom has since endorsed Biden.
