Sanders’ run plunged into doubt after trio of defeats
Biden’s lead doubles piling pressure on Democratic rival as virus threatens the remaining primaries
BERNIE SANDERS will “assess” the viability of his presidential campaign after suffering a hat-trick of losses to Joe Biden – now the runaway favourite to become the Democratic party’s nominee for November’s election.
The Vermont senator’s team issued a statement yesterday raising doubt about his continuation in the race after he lost Florida, Illinois and Arizona to Mr Biden, the former US vice president, in voting on Tuesday.
“The next primary is at least three weeks away. Senator Sanders is going to be having conversations with supporters to assess his campaign,” said Faiz Shakir, his campaign manager.
“In the immediate term, however, he is focused on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people and the most vulnerable.”
Mr Sanders had no active adverts on
Facebook yesterday, sparking speculation about the future of his campaign.
Michael Bloomberg and Pete Buttigieg, both former candidates, deactivated their Facebook adverts shortly before suspending their bids.
However, Mr Sanders’ spokesman denied as “absolutely false” a media report that he was dropping out.
Mr Biden scored resounding victories in Florida and Illinois, taking around 60 per cent of the vote. He won Arizona by around 44 per cent to Mr Sanders’s 32 per cent, though counting was ongoing last night.
The results took Mr Biden’s win tally to 19 states, while Mr Sanders has triumphed in just seven. That includes Mr Biden winning eight of the last nine states up for grabs.
There were signs that Democrats trust Mr Biden more than Mr Sanders to tackle coronavirus. Exit polls showed two-thirds of respondents picked Mr Biden, when asked which candidate would best handle a major crisis.
Speaking on results night from his home town of Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden adopted a sombre tone in a speech focusing on the coronavirus outbreak, calling for togetherness and praising doctors on the front line.
However, he also called it a “very good night” and reached out to his opponent’s supporters, saying: “Let me say, especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Senator Sanders: I hear you. I know what is at stake. And I know what we have to do.
“Senator Sanders and his supporters have brought remarkable passion and tenacity to these issues, and together, they have shifted the fundamental conversation in the country,” he added. Mr Sanders gave a live broadcast early in the night in which he focused almost exclusively on how to tackle the virus and what he wanted included in a Senate stimulus package being negotiated.
In a 25-minute address that barely mentioned the primaries, Mr Sanders said of the pandemic: “If we work together, this is the richest country in the world, we can address this crisis and minimise the pain.”
His latest victories saw Mr Biden pass the 1,000 mark in delegates, the metric that will determine the winner, as he more than doubled his lead over Mr Sanders, who now faces an exceptionally narrow path to victory.
Mr Sanders faced growing calls to quit the race, not just due to the delegate maths but because of the national emergency posed by the coronavirus.
Ohio should have been the fourth state voting for the Democratic nominee on Tuesday but the state’s governor cancelled the primary just nine hours before polls opened because of the “health emergency”.
Five other states due to vote have already delayed their primaries. It remains unclear whether any more voting will happen this month.
“The election is over tonight, that is very clear,” David Axelrod, a senior strategist to Barack Obama, the former president, during his two election victories, said on CNN, adding that Mr Sanders should consider withdrawing.
A familiar story emerged in Tuesday’s primary votes, with Mr Biden – whose campaign was on the brink of collapse after failing to win any of the first three states earlier this year – continuing to build on what his supporters have dubbed “Joementum”.
Mr Biden, 77, won more than two thirds of votes cast by African-americans in Florida and Illinois according to exit polls, providing further proof of his vast support among that demographic – a central pillar of his primaries success. He continued to do well with older voters but also had success among working class men.
‘Senator Sanders is going to be having conversations with supporters to assess his campaign’
‘Let me say, especially to the young voters inspired by Senator Sanders: I know what is at stake. And I know what we have to do’