Huge haul of delegates on the line on Super Tuesday

Voters in 14 states head to the polls to cast primary ballots - NBC's Alice Barr reports

ARLINGTON, Va. (KYMA, KECY/NBC News) - Super Tuesday could be the most decisive day of the primary season, and this year, Bernie Sanders looks like the man to beat.

Sanders cast his ballot in his home state of Vermont, sounding confident when he spoke to reporters.

"If we are going to defeat Donald Trump, our campaign is the campaign to do that." he said.

Some voters had to consider their options after their first choices left the race. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar both came out for former Vice-President Joe Biden Monday night. Some voters are following their lead.

"It makes me more comfortable about voting for Joe Biden and I think a moderate is more likely to beat Trump." said Bruce Johnston, a voter in Virginia.

Moderates are moving quickly to consolidate around Biden in a bid to stop Sanders from building an insurmountable delegate lead. Still, an ex-candidate's endorsement didn't sway all supporters.

"Bernie is a good person to fall back on." said another Virginia voter.

Another centrist appearing on the ballot for the first time today, Mike Bloomberg. He's putting his half-billion dollars in ad spending to the test - and arguing Biden is taking votes away from him.

"Why don't they coalesce around me? I can beat Donald Trump." said Bloomberg.

Senator Elizabeth Warren is hoping for a strong enough showing to stay in the race.

"This is a righteous fight, it's the right fight to be in." she said.

Almost 7-million early votes were cast before polls opened today. Many of those ballots dulled by late dropouts and last-minute endorsements.