Biden, seeking rebound from Iowa, hits Sanders, Buttigieg
SOMERSWORTH, N.H. » With questions swirling about the long-term viability of his campaign, Joe Biden sharply criticized two of his top rivals on Wednesday, suggesting Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist, was unelectable, while 38-year-old Pete Buttigieg would be a risky and inexperienced choice.
“If Sen. Sanders is the nominee for the party, every Democrat in America up and down the ballot, in blue states, red states, purple states and easy districts and competitive ones, every Democrat will have to carry the label Senator Sanders has chose for himself,” the former vice president said during a campaign event in New Hampshire, where voters will go to the polls next Tuesday. “I don’t criticize him, he calls himself a Democratic socialist. Well, we’re already seeing what Donald Trump is going to do with that.”
Biden said he had “great respect” for Buttigieg, but didn’t think the Democrats’ standard-bearer against President Donald Trump should be someone who hasn’t been elected to a higher office than mayor of South Bend, Ind., a city of about 100,00.
“It’s a risk, to be just straight up with you,” he said.
The tough talk comes as Biden’s third presidential bid enters a critical stretch. He needs to bounce back from what partial results suggest could be a disappointing finish in Monday’s Iowa caucuses.
That leaves some establishment Democrats, including some Biden supporters, questioning his contention that he will reclaim clear front-runner status in the race against Trump once the primary fight moves beyond overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire to more racially diverse electorates. And it’s a reminder of how Biden’s previous presidential campaigns never advanced beyond Iowa.
“If he came in fourth, yeah, that could hurt,” said Bill Freeman, a Biden donor from Nashville, Tenn., who added that he hadn’t even considered such a possibility heading into Monday’s caucuses. “That’s a bad night, no matter how you spin it.”
Most precarious for Biden: Some of the wouldbe donors he could win over with a strong showing are giving new looks to Mike Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor whose entire strategy of sitting out the four early nominating states is pegged to the possibility that Biden falters. Bloomberg, one of the world’s wealthiest men with a net worth approaching $60 billion, isn’t asking for money. He is simply looking for support that could cut off financial lifelines to Biden, whose campaign reported just $9 million cash on hand to start the year.
That’s patronage Biden needs to remain competitive with Buttigieg, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, who have raised massive sums from small-dollar online contributors who have been far less generous to Biden.
Alex Sink, a Democratic donor who hosted Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race, said many donors are holding back, waiting to see how Biden does. They are also keeping an open mind about Bloomberg, whose campaign asked Sink last week to attend an event in Tampa, Fla.