Biden says he can ‘unite this country’
The former vice president claims momentum after winning the South Carolina primary Saturday.
COLUMBIA, S.C. » Joe Biden said Sunday that he can “unite this country, the whole country” after scoring a comeback victory in South Carolina’s Democratic primary that could force moderate rivals out of the race and blunt the rise of progressive leader Bernie Sanders.
Biden vowed he would improve his campaign operation, his fundraising haul — and even his own performance — as the race pushes toward Super Tuesday. He warned of a “stark choice”
Biden
between him and Sanders, while making the case he is the candidate who can win up and down the ballot and in states beyond those voting next week.
“I feel good,” Biden said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I can win, and I can bring along Democratic victories.”
Biden saturated the airwaves with back-to-back interviews after Saturday’s win, which came on the strength of African American support and at a perilous moment in his 2020 bid. He needed an emphatic rebound after underwhelming performances in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
The race now pivots to the 14 states from Maine to California that vote Tuesday in what in effect will be a national primary in a race increasingly becoming a match-up between the two powerhouses representing divergent paths for the party.
Sanders led in fundraising hauls announced Sunday with an eye-popping $46.5 million for February, his campaign said. The senator said it’s not the total amount that should impress but the enthusiasm of working people fueling his candidacy.
“No campaign out there has a stronger grassroots movement than we do,” Sanders said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “That’s how you beat Trump.”
Pressure is mounting to prevent a prolonged battle that could stretch into summer as seven candidates remain in the Democrats’ quest to find the strongest possible nominee to take on President Donald Trump in November.
The lagging candidates are being pushed to justify their campaigns or step aside so Biden can engage in a more direct match-up against Sanders, who heads into the coming week eager to surpass his rivals in amassing delegates for the nomination. There were few signs that anyone was leaving the race.
Billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who will be on the ballot for the first time next week, said Sunday taht he’s not going anywhere before Tuesday’s primaries.
“I’m optimistic,” he told voters in Selma, Ala., where many of the White House hopefuls gathered for ceremonies commemorating civil rights heroism. He has spent more than $500 million advertising in the Super Tuesday states.
Elizabeth Warren’s team spoke brazenly of pushing into a floor battle at the Democratic National Convention this summer if no candidate emerges from primary season with a majority, as seems increasingly likely.
“The convention in Milwaukee is the final play,” wrote campaign manager Roger Lau in a memo.
Warren brought in $29 million last month, and Biden trailed with $18 million, but the former vice president said he raised $5 million in the last 24 hours, which is more than any previous day in his bumpy campaign.
Other dimming candidates Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar appear to be pressing forward. Buttigieg said only that his campaign will be “assessing at every turn” the best steps for defeating Trump.