And just like that, former Vice President Joe Biden continued to build momentum following a resurgence on Super Tuesday. The Associated Press called Mississippi and Missouri for Biden shortly after polls closed. The Missouri victory is a particularly tough blow for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who nearly won the state during his 2016 primary campaign, losing to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by just .25 percent once the votes were tallied. Tuesday’s set of primaries, six in total, comes at a tense time across the United States. Fears about the novel coronavirus and concerns about its impact was the backdrop for a day where Michigan, Missouri, Idaho, North Dakota, Washington, and Mississippi all cast ballots. Both Biden and Sanders cancelled campaign events scheduled to be held in Ohio Tuesday night hours after the governor called a state of emergency relating to the virus. Sanders campaign said future events will be decided “on a case by case basis.”For Sanders, in particular, it’s a tough time to be off the trail. His electoral stock has fallen at the expense of Biden’s rise. Before South Carolina, Sanders had established himself as the Democratic frontrunner, powered by success in Iowa and clear victories in the New Hampshire and Nevada contests. But South Carolina, where Sanders had hoped to recover from a blowout loss in the 2016 cycle, overwhelmingly sided with Biden and soon two of Biden’s rivals—first former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and then Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN)—dropped out of the race and, within days, endorsed the former VP. On Sunday, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), who dropped out of the presidential race months ago, joined Biden and Klobuchar at a rally in his home state of Texas to also endorse Biden ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday contest. Whether it was the show of unity or the momentum from South Carolina or some combination of the two, Biden exceeded expectations on Super Tuesday, beating Sanders in ten of the 14 contests, including surprise victories in Minnesota and Texas. Biden came into Tuesday night’s contests with 670 delegates, according to The Associated Press, while Sanders had won 574. The groundswell of support and the wave of endorsements allowed the Biden campaign to deploy the younger generation of elected officials on the trail. Klobuchar boosted Biden at events last weekend. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) who endorsed Biden on Sunday campaigned alongside him in Detroit on Monday night and was joined by fellow newfound Biden supporter Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Few endorsements have gone Sanders way since Super Tuesday, though Jesse Jackson announced his support for the Vermont Independent on Sunday and the Working Families Party also came to Sanders aid with an endorsement Monday morning. The pressure for Sanders to win Tuesday in Michigan is high. Not only did it help launch his 2016 movement when he defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton there, but it’s also the biggest delegate haul of the night. Sanders won Michigan in 2016 by just over 1.4 points. Sanders may also benefit from his nearest progressive rival, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) who exited the race after Super Tuesday. Yet unlike the centrists in the race who exited in the lead up to Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden, Warren has so far stayed away from endorsing either of her rivals. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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