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broad coalition, including support from black voters -- a key Democratic demographic.

Biden’s resounding victory Saturday in the first southern state to vote has thrust him back into contention, after miserable showings in the first three states.

With 48 percent of the vote in South Carolina, Biden more than doubled the 20 percent won by Sanders -- positioning him as the leftist senator’s main rival.

“Just days ago the press and the pundits declared my candidacy dead,” Biden told a crowd in Norfolk, Virginia, one of the states voting on Super Tuesday.

“Now, thanks to the heart of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, I’m very much alive,” he said.

“On Tuesday here in Virginia, you could be the launching pad on the path to beat Donald Trump.”

Sanders continues to hold poll leads in several Super Tuesday states -- including California.

“I think we’ve got a great chance to win in California, in Texas, in Massachusetts and a number of states,” Sanders said Sunday on CBS.

He later congratulated Buttigieg on “running a strong and historic campaign” and angled for his supporters.

“I urge them to join us in the fight for real change in this country,” Sanders tweeted.

In an already turbulent Democratic race -- which has gradually winnowed down a diverse and record-large field -- Biden’s victory Saturday injected further uncertainty.

“The biggest question is whether this will slingshot Joe Biden into victory in some Super Tuesday states,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

The win, powered by support from black voters, was Biden’s first in the race, but came at a crucial time, helping dispel doubts about the 77-year-old’s energy level and appeal.

South Carolina brought some clarity: billionaire businessman Tom Steyer, who spent $23 million campaigning in the state, also dropped out of the race after taking just 11 percent of the vote.

Pressure is mounting on other trailing Democrats -- including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Amy Klobuchar -- to follow Steyer’s and Buttigieg’s example and then swiftly throw their weight behind a frontrunner.

Warren, Klobuchar and billionaire Michael Bloomberg have all made it clear that they will stick around at least through Super Tuesday.

Buttigieg was feted by rivals including Bloomberg, another moderate, who has poured a staggering $500 million from his personal fortune into campaign advertising.