Bernie Sanders has inflicted a blow on Hillary Clinton's campaign to be the Democratic Party's candidate to fight in the U.S. presidential election.
He enjoyed a narrow victory in Michigan, upsetting the odds in a state where polls recently showed Clinton was enjoying as much as a 20-point advantage over her opponent.
Importantly, Sanders' win shows a growing support among the African-American community, which had been a weak point for him on Super Tuesday, as Clinton had strong support across a wide range of voters.
In his victory speech, Bernie Sanders criticised the Republican Party's front-runner Donald Trump, stating that America should come together rather than succumbing to divisive rhetoric.
Sanders added that the victory in Michigan was a sign that his campaign was growing in strength: "What tonight means it that the Bernie Sanders campaign, the people’s revolution that we are talking about, is strong in every part of the country and frankly we believe that our strongest areas are yet to happen".
In the Democratic race, delegates are awarded proportionally across all states, so while there were 130 on offer, Sanders' win has not made up too much ground on Clinton, who still holds a sizable lead of over 200.
Clinton won in Mississippi by an overwhelming margin of 83-16, meaning she will take the lion's share of the 36 pledged delegates on offer there.
Image: Lynne Sladky / AP/Press Association Images
On the Republican side, Donald Trump has extended his lead in the Republican nomination race after sweeping primaries in Mississippi and Michigan, while he is also projected to win Hawaii.
Texas senator Ted Cruz did hit back with a win in Idaho, but Trump still managed to take a swipe at his rival as he addressed supporters in Florida, saying that despite Cruz's claims to the contrary, "he never beats me".
Florida senator Marco Rubio had another poor night as he finished fourth in both Mississippi and Michigan, but told a gathering of his supporters that he still believes he will be the nominee if he can win his home state of Florida on March 15th.
He stated that the GOP can't afford to take a chance on nominating Trump: "If we lose this election, the consequences are generational. We can’t lose. We cannot afford to nominate someone in this party that is not a conservative, and we cannot afford to nominate some that is not a conservative that can win."
Via Politico, The Guardian, CNN
