CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Former Vice President Joe Biden will win North Carolina's Democratic primary, according to projections Tuesday night from several news networks.
Biden was projected to beat Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other candidates. The projections are based on exit polling.
Early returns showed Biden with 30.2% in North Carolina, with Sanders at 23.3%, Bloomberg at 18.3% and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 11.3%.
North Carolina is one of 14 states voting on a day that could further define the Democratic primary as a two-person race between Biden and Sanders.
The most recent state polls showed Biden extending a lead over Sanders. Just last week surveys showed the two in a tight race with Bloomberg.
"I'm not surprised at the result," state Democratic Chair Wayne Goodwin said in a statement. "I believe the South Carolina primary increased support for him. ... North Carolina is the battleground state. The road to the White House goes straight through North Carolina."
North Carolina is one of Tuesday's delegate prizes. Only California and Texas had more delegates at stake. Candidates must win 15% of delegates in a congressional district or statewide to claim any delegates. Anything less they take away nothing.
After poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden saw his fortunes change in South Carolina Saturday. His big win there prompted first Tom Steyer and then former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar to drop out. That appeared to help Biden in North Carolina.
Tuesday's exit polls also showed that Biden won 60% of African American votes, just as he did in South Carolina.
A CNN exit poll found nearly 3 in 10 North Carolina voters said they made up their minds in the last few days. One was Benjamin Hudson. The Queens University of Charlotte student said he was going to vote for Buttigieg or Klobuchar before they dropped out. When they endorsed Biden Monday, he decided to vote for the former vice president.
"The country needs somebody that's a little bit more moderate," said Hudson, 21. "You have an extreme right guy _ Trump _ that's in office right now, and if you go to the extreme left wing you're not going to get anything done."
In his first test as a presidential candidate, Bloomberg made North Carolina a priority. He opened his first office in any state in Charlotte last December. He assembled a paid staff of around 125 and had field offices across the state.
He also contributed heavily to making the primary's record spending.
Bloomberg spent $15 million in advertising in North Carolina, according to Advertising Analytics. All together candidates spent more than $20.4 million on advertising in the state. That compares with a total of $5.1 million in the 2012 primary and $2.8 million in 2016.
Bloomberg, who called himself the "unTrump," was endorsed by a former governor, the mayors of Charlotte and Raleigh and the Democratic leaders of the state House and Senate.
Charlotte furniture maker Robert Bradham, 62, turned to Bloomberg when Klobuchar and Buttigieg dropped out. He said Biden and Bloomberg were his only choices. He chose Bloomberg because of his experience running a business and New York City.
Sanders hoped to improve his 2016 performance in North Carolina, when he won 41% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 55%. He appealed to younger voters like Monique Williamson of Charlotte.
A marriage and family therapist, she said health care was a top issue in her decision.
"I have health care, but I know it's a huge concern for most families. It's causing families to go bankrupt," said Williamson, 29. "It's a horrible thing to have to choose between a cancer treatment and if you live or die, especially when most developed countries in the world already have (universal health care)."
Republican Mark LaChance arrived at the Pittsboro campus of Central Carolina Community College to vote.
"The important (election) is in November," he said. "The country is running beautifully. No need to change."
President Donald Trump was winning more than 94% of the vote in the GOP primary.
"North Carolinians will ultimately reject Joe Biden or whichever socialist Democrats put forward in November when they say 'yes' to four more years of President Trump," Trump Victory Spokesperson Samantha Cotten said in a statement.
