Joe Biden took an early lead over leftist rival Bernie Sanders in the Super Tuesday contests to pick a Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump, with a trio of projected wins in Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama.
As the first wave of results in the 14 states voting came in, it appeared that the centrist former vice president's remarkable rebound from a failing campaign was gathering pace.
Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist on a mission to reshape America's economy, was projected to win as expected in his home state of Vermont.
The 78-year-old senator has a fervent voter base and was still expected