Fairfax County primary voters go for Biden

Joe Biden speaks at a rally in Norfolk March 1. [AP]

Fairfax County voters contributed to Joe Biden’s victory in the Virginia Democratic Primary March 3, although Biden performed better statewide than in the county.

In Fairfax County, Biden got 49.82 percent of the vote, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. Bernie Sanders got 23.34 percent, Elizabeth Warren got 12.11 percent, and Michael Bloomberg got 11.50 percent. The rest of the votes were split among a long list of candidates who had dropped out of the race but were still listed on the ballot.

In Virginia as a whole, the results were Biden – 53.55 percent, Sanders 23.12 0 percent, Warren -10.77 percent, and Bloomberg – 9.66 percent.

Blue Virginia reports 1.32 million people voted in Virginia (a turnout rate of 23 percent), topping the 986,203 turnout in 2008 and 785,190 in 2016.

According to news reports, most Virginia voters who supported Biden were primarily motivated by their perception that Biden is the best candidate to beat Trump in the general election. Biden was also helped by endorsements from former candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.

Exit polls also showed strong support for Biden in Virginia among African Americans and voters over 45, while those under 30 preferred Sanders.

Biden’s endorsements in Virginia include Sen. Tim Kaine, Rep. Don Beyer, and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, among many others.

Biden’s win in Virginia is worth 99 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. The state has another 25 “superdelegates” who don’t have to vote for the winner of the state’s primary.