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The View From Super Tuesday

In Mendon, Vt., the first voter arrived 10 minutes before polls opened at 8 a.m. "She was so excited," said Town Clerk Nancy Gondella, "since she realized she'd get the first piece of cake."
Nina Keck/VPR
In Mendon, Vt., the first voter arrived 10 minutes before polls opened at 8 a.m. "She was so excited," said Town Clerk Nancy Gondella, "since she realized she'd get the first piece of cake."

As voters in 14 states went to the polls to cast their ballots for their preferred presidential candidates on Super Tuesday, NPR member stations captured what election day looked like across the country.

The enthusiasm was palpable. In Mendon, Vt., Town Clerk Nancy Gondella said the first voter arrived 10 minutes before polls opened at 8 a.m.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also voted in Vermont on Tuesday morning, calling it a "very, very important day" as he cast his ballot in Burlington. As polls closed at 7 p.m., Sanders clinched his home state early.

In Thetford, Vt., John Bacon and Dennis Donahue chat at the village store next to Thetford's polling place on Tuesday morning.
/ Angela Evancie/VPR
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Angela Evancie/VPR
In Thetford, Vt., John Bacon and Dennis Donahue chat at the village store next to Thetford's polling place on Tuesday morning.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her husband, Bruce Mann, were among the primary voters in their home state of Massachusetts on Super Tuesday morning. Warren voted near her home in Cambridge. But former Vice President Joe Biden won the state.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her husband, Bruce Mann, greet supporters on their way to vote in Cambridge, Mass.
/ Robin Lubbock/WBUR
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Robin Lubbock/WBUR
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her husband, Bruce Mann, greet supporters on their way to vote in Cambridge, Mass.
Voters fill the booths at Graham and Parks School in Cambridge, Mass.
/ Robin Lubbock/WBUR
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Robin Lubbock/WBUR
Voters fill the booths at Graham and Parks School in Cambridge, Mass.

Biden also claimed victory in Virginia's Democratic primary as polls closed at 7 p.m. The state had 99 delegates up for grabs.

In Richmond, Va., poll worker Adella Phillips helps voters at Southside Regional Center.
/ Crixell Matthews/VPM
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Crixell Matthews/VPM
In Richmond, Va., poll worker Adella Phillips helps voters at Southside Regional Center.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., a freshman who represents parts of Northern Virginia, was one of several high-profile endorsements Biden picked up in the state. Virginia saw record turnout for its Tuesday primary.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., greets voters outside Langley High School in McLean, Va. She endorsed Joe Biden.
/ Tyrone Turner/WAMU
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Tyrone Turner/WAMU
Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., greets voters outside Langley High School in McLean, Va. She endorsed Joe Biden.

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg also had support from a lot of well-known surrogates — such as Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. She campaigned for Bloomberg in next-door Arlington, Va., on Tuesday.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser stops by the campaign office of Mike Bloomberg in the Pentagon City area of Arlington, Va.
/ Tyrone Turner/WAMU
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Tyrone Turner/WAMU
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser stops by the campaign office of Mike Bloomberg in the Pentagon City area of Arlington, Va.

In El Paso, Texas, high school senior Marianna Muñoz voted in her first election during her lunch break from school, casting her ballot for Sanders.

Texas, the second-largest state on Super Tuesday, with 228 delegates up for grabs, is a markedly young state: 40% of the population is under 30. Still, some college students at the University of Texas at Arlington said they were not planning to vote in the Tuesday primary.

In El Paso, Texas, 18-year-old Marianna Muñoz used her school lunch break to vote in her very first election. As a high school senior, she's concerned about student debt and cast a ballot for Bernie Sanders.
/ Mallory Falk/KERA
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Mallory Falk/KERA
In El Paso, Texas, 18-year-old Marianna Muñoz used her school lunch break to vote in her very first election. As a high school senior, she's concerned about student debt and cast a ballot for Bernie Sanders.

In Tennessee, a tornado tore through the Nashville area Monday night, causing widespread damage and at least 22 deaths. The storm disrupted voting at several polling places in the area, but a ruling on Tuesday evening allowed a handful to stay open late.

"This means that democracy won, because people are going to be given the opportunity to vote," Dave Garrison, the state Democratic Party's attorney, toldThe Tennessean.

The Mattingly family voted together at Donelson Presbyterian Church east of downtown Nashville, Tenn. From left to right: Myra, 49, Nadia, 8, George, 49, and Sasha, 11.
/ Samantha Max/WPLN
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Samantha Max/WPLN
The Mattingly family voted together at Donelson Presbyterian Church east of downtown Nashville, Tenn. From left to right: Myra, 49, Nadia, 8, George, 49, and Sasha, 11.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, cast their ballots in Sacramento. Siebel Newsom announced her endorsement of Warren on Friday. The governor had previously backed California Sen. Kamala Harris, who dropped out in December, but he would not say whom he voted for today.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to peek at wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom's ballot in Sacramento for the California primary.
/ Andrew Nixon/CapRadio
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Andrew Nixon/CapRadio
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to peek at wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom's ballot in Sacramento for the California primary.

California was the biggest prize on Super Tuesday and in the primary race overall, with a whopping 415 delegates. Sanders was projected to win the state.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Sanders supporters clasp hands in East Los Angeles, Calif., before heading out for canvassing.
/ Saul Gonzalez/KQED
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Saul Gonzalez/KQED
Sanders supporters clasp hands in East Los Angeles, Calif., before heading out for canvassing.

Maya Gandhi