by N. Peter Kramer
Joe Biden won all three Democratic primaries held on Tuesday. Former Obama’s vice president is likely to have a majority of the convention delegates awarded so far and has secured more than half of the 1.991 needed to win the nomination. In Florida, a critical battleground state in the general election, Biden won nearly three times as many votes as the Vermont senator and carried all 67 counties. Also, in the other two states, Illinois and Arizona, his winning was convincing.
These large victories for the former vice president are likely to place more pressure on Sanders to exit from the race, so the Democratic party can focus on President Trump. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Sunday showed Biden was favoured nationally, 61% to 32%, among those who have already voted in the Democratic primary or plan to do so.
Biden said, speaking from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, via a live stream, his campaign is moving closer to winning the nomination as he reached out to his rival’s supporters. Maybe he and Bernie Sanders ‘may disagree on tactics, but we share a common vision’ on issues such as health care, wealth inequality and climate change. He told young voters inspired by his opponent, ‘I hear you; I know what’s at stake’.
Joe Biden learnt the lesson from Sanders’ defeat by Hillary Clinton supported by the Democratic party establishment. Their arrogancy and humiliating of ‘Bernie’ brought at least 25% of ‘Bernie supporters’ to vote for Donald Trump in 2016; another 25% didn’t vote at all. Biden is trying to unify the party behind him, endorsing policy proposals related to bankruptcy laws and college tuition in a bid to woo the left of the Democratic party.
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee noted Tuesday night that Donald Trump had secured enough delegates through the GOP primaries to become the party’s ‘presumptive nominee’ for president. ‘Nobody motivates our base more than President Trump, as evidenced by the historic turnout we’ve seen in state after state this primary season’, Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. ‘Fueled by both our long-time supporters and the thousands of new voters that continue to join our movement, we are united, and enthusiasm is on our side’.
