Former Vice President Joe Biden just finished addressing his supporters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He didn’t gloat. In fact, as CNN’s Dana Bash noted, he offered many olive branches to the far left of the Democratic Party. Bash also noted the tone: Biden spoke as if Bernie was already out of the race. Is he? Well, we don’t know. Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t going to speak tonight. He’s pulling a Hillary Clinton and not making an address.
Sanders was just outright destroyed all over tonight. He lost Mississippi, Missouri, and Michigan, the latter of which he needed to mount something of a comeback to at least have some claim in staying in this race. Bernie had an upset win over Hillary Clinton in Michigan, winning white working-class voters in the rural areas. Now, those supporters have gone to Trump and this multi-racial, multi-generational grassroots movement that spans coast-to-coast that was supposed to wipe out Trump in 2020 hasn’t netted him any wins since Nevada. Once again, South Carolina was the state that broke him. Once again, Black Democrats in the south killed the Sanders insurgency. It’s questionable if Bernie hits the 15 percent threshold in Mississippi. It’s also possible he doesn’t clinch 40 percent in Michigan. And now, his lead in California has dropped immensely.
*BERNIE SANDERS NOT PLANNING TO SPEAK TONIGHT
— Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) March 11, 2020
Btw, in CA, the Sanders lead over Biden fell from 7.1% to 6.7% in today's counting.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 11, 2020
At this point Sanders may not crack 40% in Michigan.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 11, 2020
Btw, in CA, the Sanders lead over Biden fell from 7.1% to 6.7% in today's counting.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) March 11, 2020
I've just been informed by someone who would DEFINITELY know that @BernieSanders will announce that he will suspend his campaign on Wednesday or Thursday.
— Don Winslow New book BROKEN on sale APRIL 7 (@donwinslow) March 11, 2020
Bernie Sanders won men in Michigan, 48% to 47%, over Joe Biden, but Biden won women by almost 20 points, 57% to 39%, according to exit polls. https://t.co/T7mmxWBUmS
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) March 11, 2020
What is the @BernieSanders rationale for staying in the race?
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) March 11, 2020
All the areas he won in 2016 flipped for Biden. Counties he won by 20+ points, like in Kalamazoo, ended in a virtual tie with Biden. Just brutal. And women have flocked to the Biden banner. Black voters, women, and suburbanites are a deadly coalition. Yet, forget the last two blocs, if a supermajority of black Democrats isn’t voting for you, you can’t win the nomination.
There is a debate on March 15, but with Latino voters not being a key share of the vote in the primaries out East, young people not showing up, and the path to the nomination quickly evaporating due to Biden’s delegate lead—is there really a reason to stay in this thing? He’s lost black Democrats and now white working-class Democrats. I think the path is closed.
There are rumors that Sanders could drop out tomorrow or Thursday. Sanders has said that he isn’t a masochist, he will drop out if there is no path. The problem is that he’s a politician. They lie. And let’s not forget—Sanders reportedly mulled mounting a primary challenge against Obama in 2012 before then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talked him out of it. He’s bold. He’s maybe a little insane.
