Former Vice President Joe Biden scored a clean sweep of three key primary contests on Tuesday night and continued to distance himself from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the delegate race as the coronavirus pandemic overshadows the push for the Democratic nomination.

Biden handily won primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona on Tuesday night, further extending his lead over Sanders, whose path to the nomination has become microscopic. Biden’s wins also give him his 19th win in 24 state primaries and caucuses dating back to the South Carolina win that swung the entire primary. In a speech to supporters, the former vice president spoke directly to Sanders’s supporters and made an appeal to them as he moved closer to becoming the party’s standard-bearer (The Hill).

"Our campaign has had a very good night. We've moved closer to securing the Democratic nomination for president, and we're doing it by building a broad coalition that we need to win in November," Biden said.

“Sen. Sanders and I may disagree on tactics, but we share a common vision for the need to provide affordable health care for all Americans, reduce income inequity that has risen so drastically, to tackling the existential threat of our time, climate change,” he continued.

According to the latest count, Biden leads with 1,147 delegates, while Sanders trails with 861. On Tuesday night alone, the former VP racked up 249 to only 116 for the Vermont senator.