WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the Mississippi Democratic primary by a substantial margin, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., narrowly scored a surprise victory in the Democratic contest in Michigan.
The website for the Michigan Secretary of State indicates Sanders won 49.75 percent of the votes in the Great Lakes State compared to 48.23 percent for Clinton.
Sanders' narrow victory is seen as an upset for the Senator, as polls had shown Clinton with a significant lead in Michigan.
The RealClearPolitics average of recent polls had shown Clinton with a 58.7 percent to 37.3 percent advantage over Sanders.
In a statement, Sanders said he is grateful to the people of Michigan for defying the pundits and pollsters and giving him their support.
'This is a critically important night,' Sanders said. 'We came from 30 points down in Michigan and we're seeing the same kind of come-from-behind momentum all across America.'
He added, 'Not only is Michigan the gateway to the rest of the industrial Midwest, the results there show that we are a national campaign.'
Sanders appears to have benefited from stronger support among African American voters than in other states with a large black electorate.
According to NBC News, exit polls show Sanders won at least 30 percent of the black vote in Michigan after getting less than 20 in several Southern states.
Nonetheless, because Democratic delegates are awarded proportionally, Clinton still expanded her lead due to her strong performance in Mississippi.
Clinton won Mississippi by more than 65 percentage points, reportedly giving her a total of 81 delegates for the night compared to 64 for Sanders.
The results give Clinton an even bigger lead among pledged delegates, although the outcome of the Michigan primary suggests Sanders could perform well in upcoming contests in Florida, Illinois and Ohio.
On the Republican side, real estate tycoon Donald Trump continued his march towards the nomination, picking up victories in Michigan, Mississippi, and Hawaii.
(Photo Credit: Nick Solari)
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