Biden wins Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri; calls arise for Sanders to quit
Joe Biden won the Michigan primary and two other states Tuesday, cementing his status atop the Democratic field and raising calls for Bernie Sanders to stand aside and begin the process of unifying the party to face President Donald Trump in November.
On a roll since taking command of the race last week, Biden also racked up victories in Missouri and Mississippi, padding his delegate lead over Vermont’s senator and lengthening the odds of a Sanders comeback.
“The race for all intents and purposes was over last Tuesday. Michigan confirms it,” said Paul Maslin, a veteran Democratic strategist who is neutral in this year’s nominating fight. “The primaries in the rest of March will make it mathematically certain.”
Others, on different ends of the Democratic Party spectrum, echoed the sentiment.
South Carolina Rep. James E. Clyburn, whose endorsement was instrumental in launching Biden to victory in his home state — a win that changed the course of the race overnight — said on NPR that it was time to “shut this primary down,” starting with the cancellation of a debate scheduled for Sunday in Phoenix.
Guy Cecil, the head of Priorities USA, a major Democratic political action committee, said “the math is now clear” and announced the organization would throw its considerable weight behind Biden.
On the left, Ilya Sheyman, former head of the progressive political group MoveOn, sent “love and care” to Sanders and his campaign even as he signaled his belief the Democratic race was over.
“We need unity in Nov. to stop Trump, win Senate & build future,” he wrote on Twitter.
On a day when concerns over the spreading coronavirus shadowed the campaign, primaries and caucuses were also held in North Dakota, Idaho and Washington state.
The balloting was modest compared with last week’s 15-contest Super Tuesday extravaganza. A mere 356 pledged delegates were at stake, compared with nearly 1,400 a week ago.
Still, the outcome in the six contests seemed likely to significantly shape the campaign going forward.
The vote came as the two candidates were moving in opposite directions:
The former vice president was on the ascent, showered with millions of dollars in contributions and bolstered by dozens of fresh endorsements after his 10 Super Tuesday victories. (He picked up another Tuesday night, erstwhile opponent Andrew Yang.)
Sanders was struggling to overcome Biden’s growing momentum as well as delegate math that makes his path to the White House increasingly steep.
Biden entered the day with 664 pledged delegates to Sanders’ 573, according to The Associated Press. It takes 1,991 delegates to win the nomination on the first ballot at the Democrats’ July convention and Biden’s strong showing in several states suggested that his lead over Sanders would grow substantially.
Before the polls closed, Sanders and Biden announced they were canceling election night rallies scheduled in Cleveland ahead of next week’s Ohio primary. Biden planned to speak instead at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, where his campaign is headquartered.
Both camps cited concerns from public health officials about the possible spread of the coronavirus within the large crowds the two candidates have been attracting.
Of Tuesday’s contests, Michigan appeared to be the most important, offering the largest share of delegates — 125 — and carrying important symbolic overtones.
Sanders won the state four years ago, a victory that sparked his campaign just as Hillary Clinton seemed about to wrap up the nomination.