The smoke had barely cleared from the Super Tuesday primaries before the Democratic Presidential nomination process had been winnowed down to two main candidates. What had once been a field crowded by candidates vying for the nomination now looks to be a contest between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Now it’s just a matter of seeing which of those two will win a majority of the delegates before the July Democratic National Convention.
In fact, Super Tuesday wasn’t even necessary to filter out the also-rans. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, the only moderates who could have siphoned off major support from Biden, had already dropped out in the days leading up to Tuesday’s primaries. In all likelihood they were offered a sweet deal by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to drop out and endorse Biden, because the DNC doesn’t want to see the socialist Bernie Sanders coming away with the nomination.
The strategy seemed to work, because Biden’s campaign, once lifeless and floundering, seems to have renewed energy. Biden and Sanders are now neck and neck in the delegate count, and with Mike Bloomberg having dropped out and endorsed Biden, it’s now a race between Bernie and Biden to see who gets the Democratic Party’s nod.
Don’t be surprised to see even more dirty tricks up the DNC’s sleeve to keep Sanders from getting the nomination. The Democratic establishment sees Biden as the more “electable” of the two candidates, offering the best chance at winning against President Trump. But with Biden’s history of creepiness towards women, his family foibles, and the massive amount of corruption he was involved in as Vice President, a Biden nomination would offer the Trump campaign plenty of ammunition in the general election.
The nomination race isn’t over yet, and it could come down to the wire. Next week sees the Michigan, Missouri, and Washington primaries decided, which will give an indicator of who is likely to gain the edge. The following week sees Florida, Illinois, and Ohio, all major bellwethers. Whoever wins those states is poised to take the lead in the nomination and likely do well in the general election. But late April sees New York and Pennsylvania, two more states with large delegate counts. This race might not end up being decided until late in the day, and even if Sanders does come away with the majority of delegates, don’t be surprised if the DNC tries to spring something to give the nomination to Biden.