The Spokesman-Review

Joe Biden appeared headed for a majority of Washington’s 89 pledged delegates to the national convention after more votes in the state’s Democratic presidential primary were counted Thursday.

With a quarter-million ballots remaining to be counted, both Democratic and Republican, Biden held a 26,000-vote lead on Bernie Sanders. Late ballots appeared to have broken for the longtime Delaware senator and two-term vice president, with Sanders posting a 2,000-vote lead on election night.

Washington residents started voting by mail Feb. 21, and Sanders handily won the Nevada caucus a day later. But Biden began gaining ground with strong showings in the South on Super Tuesday.

As of Thursday’s count, Biden was ahead in 23 of Washington’s 39 counties, including the four with the most registered voters: King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane. Sanders was ahead in the central Washington counties of Yakima, Kittitas and Chelan.

The election results will be certified March 27; the parties will then assign delegates who are scheduled to be selected at upcoming caucuses later this spring.