The past two primary dates have turned the tables and so much has changed in such a short span of time. Ever since the South Carolina primary ended, five candidates have dropped out of the race. Tom Steyer came first, making the decision following a loss in SC, despite most of his campaigning time being spent there. Pete Buttigieg also dropped after a fall in momentum since his Iowa win. He decided that he would endorse Joe Biden. Amy Klobuchar waited a little longer, dropping hours before Super Tuesday and stating she would support Biden as well. Similar to Klobuchar and Buttigieg, Michael Bloomberg dropped after a defeat during Super Tuesday and is also backing Biden. Then, just as people had expected due to her performance in the primaries so far, Elizabeth Warren suspended her campaign on March 5th.
People have been dropping like flies and the public has been calling the Democratic primary a two-person race: Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. However, Tulasi Gabbard, unlike her former low-delegate colleagues, continues her campaign. Some may have expected her to drop due to her losses, but she is still in the running. Her supporters assert that they hope to get their message across whether or not she stays in the race.
Sanders has shown strength since the start of the primary season: he won New Hampshire and placed second in Iowa and South Carolina. He successfully won Nevada, Vermont, Colorado, Utah, and California by large margins during Super Tuesday. He has now been solidified as a front runner in the race.
Biden came in a little slow during the beginning. Since the start of the campaigns, Biden was seen as one of the top three. He quieted down a bit after the Ukraine-Hunter Biden controversy and declined in poll popularity since. Even when the voting started, Biden was nowhere to be seen, not even placing in the top five in New Hampshire. He made an insignificant impact in Nevada by trailing behind with solely nine delegates. The tables turned in South Carolina where he won 38 delegates. He also won 10 out of 14 states during Super Tuesday, including Texas and Massachusetts. The margins varied from narrow to large. Now, with endorsements from Klobuchar, Buttigieg, and Bloomberg, Biden is giving Sanders a close match in the polls.
Super Tuesday changed the whole primary picture. Though at the beginning Buttigieg and Sanders were at the top, Biden currently stands in first with 627 delegates and Sanders in second with 551. Gabbard, the third active campaign, stands at seventh with 2 delegates. From now on, each primary will hold extreme importance and each delegate must be treasured. Regardless of all the changes that have happened in the past week, we must await the day one of our three Democratic hopefuls reaches 1,991 delegates.
Not all of the precincts had been counted in Maine, Massachusetts, Utah, Colorado, and California at the time this article was written. While we still await a final call, the chances of a place switch are fairly low.
Primary results for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and the nation courtesy of The Associated Press.
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