March 3 was Super Tuesday, and about one third of the total pledged delegates were up for grabs. It can bluntly be said that the winner of the night was Joe Biden. The former Vice President won his first primary ever in South Carolina the Saturday before, in this being his third time running for president. It was an absolute rout, with the result being declared immediately after the polls closed. This was tough news for the Sanders campaign who at one point was in a virtual tie for first in polling. The good news for the Biden campaign got even better, when in the following days Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar both dropped out and gave Biden their endorsements. The core moderate vote was now mostly consolidated behind Biden, with his only other competitor in that camp being Michael Bloomberg. Progressives across the board — including myself — were hoping that Elizabeth Warren would drop out in an attempt to consolidate the progressive vote. We were left disappointed, as Warren decided to keep her campaign running into Super Tuesday.
Super Tuesday began as expected with Biden winning throughout the Southeast by handy margins, even in states that he did not campaign in. The only other candidate that was viable for delegates in all of the Southeast states was Sanders. Bernie won his home state of Vermont handily, and then the surprises of the night began to pour in. First, in Massachusetts, a state that was thought to be a toss up between Sanders and Warren, Joe Biden came out victorious. In her home state, Warren came in third. Next, in Minnesota, a state that Sanders won in 2016, and was leading in when Klobuchar was still in the race was also won handily by Biden. The Klobuchar drop out and endorsement seemed to do wonders for the Biden campaign, while again Warren’s continued presence in the race hurt Sanders. Biden also took Maine, which many thought would be a Sanders state.
Biden was performing well early, but the two jewels of the night, Texas and California were still up for grabs. Sanders and Biden were in a deadlock for first in Texas for quite a while before Biden pushed into the lead and won. The saving grace for the Sanders campaign came in the form of California. Sanders won almost every county in the state, and has a commanding lead in the most delegate rich state in the primary. However, the final results and delegate counts in California will likely not be known for weeks, but the early results are leaning towards a large Sanders victory. Also, not mentioned earlier, but Bloomberg won American Samoa, so good for him I guess.
In the end, although Biden had a big night, winning the most states by far, the final delegate count between him and Sanders will likely be almost even. Biden has massive momentum heading into next Tuesday’s primaries, with Bloomberg now dropping out and endorsing him, and his great performance on Super Tuesday. The establishment Democrats are doing what the Republicans failed to do in 2016, and that is consolidate around a candidate in order to wean off what they perceive as a threat in Sanders.
If Warren continues in the race, for whatever reason — and I can’t think of any — Sanders’ shot at the nomination will dramatically decrease. If she drops out, there is also no guarantee she endorses Sanders (she endorsed Clinton in 2016), but it would undoubtedly help Sanders. Bernie could really use the jolt after Super Tuesday because although the delegate count will be close, the media will be propping up Biden. Just like four years ago, it is a two person race between a staunch moderate and a progressive, and at this point, the nomination is within both of their sights.
