Joe Biden, after early disappointing finishes in the first three contests in the Democratic nomination calender, has surged ahead after his big win in South Carolina (Photo Credit: Reuters)
New Delhi:
The US presidential election is long process almost taking two or even three years with all the primaries, caucuses, debates and, of course, the actual voting. However, there are 'make or break' moments and events which define the race every cycle. It seems that the South Carolina primary has been one such moment for the Democratic Party nomination process.
Joe Biden, after early disappointing finishes in the first three contests in the Democratic nomination calender, has surged ahead after his big win in South Carolina. Not only Biden earned some very important number of delegates with this win, but it also cleared his path to winning the nomination process.
Three candidates- Tom Steyer, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar - have dropped out since South Carolina primary placing Biden as the biggest champion of the moderate voices in the party. More importantly Biden has gained some very important endorsements in last 24 hours including Klobuchar, Buttigieg and another ex-rival Beto O'Rourke. These endorsements will give a boost to Biden on "Super Tuesday" primaries where almost one-third of the delegates needed to win the nomination are alloted.
The "Super Tuesday" presidential primaries on March 3, would be held in as many as 15 states. The "Super Tuesday" contest would allocate 1,357 of the 3,979 pledged delegates for the Democratic National Convention, which would select its nominee for the presidential elections in November.
While there are five candidates still contesting for the Democratic nomination, it seems that the contest will come down to two veterans- Biden and Bernie Sanders. Currently, Biden has 54 pledged delegates in his kitty while Sanders, who won the primaries in New Hampshire and Nevada and was tied with Buttigieg in Iowa Caucus, is leading the pledged delegate count with 60, according to latest figures in New York Times.
| US Elections/ | Democratic Primary | |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Delegates | Status |
| Bernie Sanders | 60 | Running |
| Joe Biden | 54 | Running |
| Pete Buttigieg | 26 | Dropped Out |
| Elizabeth Warren | 8 | Running |
| Amy Klobuchar | 7 | Dropped Out |
| Michael Bloomberg | 0 | Running |
| Tulsi Gabbard | 0 | Running |
Sanders is way ahead of Biden in key states such as California with 415 pledged delegates and also leading in Texas which has 228 pledged delegates. However, Biden will be hoping that his momentum and new wave of endoresments will help him in overcoming the disadvantage.
Pete Buttigieg, who was at number three in terms of pledged when he ended his campaign, endored Biden at an emotional appearance at a Dallas restaurant. Buttigieg, first openly gay presidential candidate, said that he was "delighted to endorse and support Joe Biden."
Biden reportedlly said Buttigieg "reminds me of my son Beau," who died in 2015.
Klobuchar announced her intention to support Biden at a rally for the former vice-president. To quote a Reuters report, Klobuchar delivered a barnstorm of a speech, reminiscent of the types politicians give at their party conventions when anointing their presidential nominees.
"Joe Biden has dedicated his life to fighting for people," Klobuchar said.
"Not for the rich and powerful, but for the mom, for the farmer, for the dreamer, for the veteran. He can bring our country together. He is somebody of such extraordinary grace and kindness and empathy.”
Harry Reed, the former Senate Majority Leader, also announced to endorse Biden for President.
"President Donald Trump has done unspeakable damage to our country, our institutions and the rule of law. Democrats need a candidate who can assemble the largest, most diverse coalition possible to defeat Trump and lead our country following the trauma of Trump's presidency. That candidate is Joe Biden," he said.
