Senator Bernie Sanders consolidated his status as the favorite in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination after winning the caucuses in Nevada, Voice of America reports.
Joe Biden is on track to win second place, which would give new hope to his faltering campaign.
Sanders, a senator from Vermont, has drawn support from a diverse group of voters -- young, middle-aged, Latinos, union members and white, highly educated women in Nevada -- showing signs that his voter base has expanded.
"We've created a multigenerational coalition ... that will win not only in Nevada but across the country," Sanders told supporters in San Antonio, Texas.
Sanders has about 44 percent of the Nevada vote as results are reported from 11 percent of precincts, although results have been slow to come in.
Biden is in a distant second place with 25 percent, but still ahead of the former mayor of Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, who has 15 percent of the vote.
A victory in Nevada will further strengthen the candidacy of Sanders. Voter polls show strong support for Sanders' proposed government-funded universal health care plan.
Former Vice President Biden desperately needed a good result after poor results in the first party caucuses and elections, where he did not get further than fourth place.
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