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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Bernie Sanders needs his own comeback and Joe Biden eyes bigger lead on Super Tuesday II Bernie Sanders needs his own comeback and Joe Biden eyes bigger lead on Super Tuesday II By Stephen Collinson, CNN 20 hrs ago Biden or Sanders? How race and age shape the race Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hopes to turn the tables on former Vice President Joe Biden and launch his own comeback story in six Super Tuesday II races that could significantly influence the destiny of the Democratic nomination. Primaries in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Washington state and caucuses in North Dakota are taking place against the increasingly grim backdrop of the worsening coronavirus crisis. Luckily, the primary in Washington state, one of the worst hit regions, mostly involves mail-in ballots, so the state will avoid the risks of infections in crowded polling places. Officials still cautioned voters not to lick their envelopes before mailing in their preferences. The virus is also beginning to affect campaign plans themselves. Both Biden and Sanders canceled their campaign rallies in Cleveland set for Tuesday night after getting feedback from local health officials on whether it would be safe to hold a large gathering given coronavirus' spread in Ohio. Biden's stunning comeback after the South Carolina primary and the first Super Tuesday races last week suddenly reversed the Vermont senator's momentum. Biden, rather than Sanders, suddenly has the lead by 77 delegates, though California -- a state where the democratic socialist leads -- still has 22% of its vote outstanding. Sanders needs good results Tuesday across the board since delegate-rich states favorable to Biden loom in the coming weeks. A poor performance by Sanders could allow his rival to stretch a delegate lead that might make it hard for him to catch up given the Democratic proportional system. But a Sanders surge would revive the specter of a bruising delegate race right up to, and possibly through, the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July. Slide 1 of 21: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, speaks to members of the press at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, speaks to members of the press at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, on March 10. Slideshow by photo services All eyes on Michigan The state that might offer the biggest clues to the fate of the now two-man Democratic duel and November's election is Michigan, where Sanders narrowly beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. The first big Midwest swing state to vote in the Democratic race ought to be home turf for Sanders given his strong connection to working class white voters and his populist message on trade. Such a recipe helped President Donald Trump become the first Republican since George H.W. Bush in 1988 to capture the Great Lakes State as he headed to the White House in 2016. Yet Biden also has a long history and connections in the state, and has been lifted by the consolidation of the moderate Democratic field around him since his South Carolina triumph. The former Delaware senator was part of Barack Obama's presidential ticket that won Michigan twice. He's touted his role in securing a bailout during the Great Recession that saved iconic auto giants that are major employers, and have tributary supply chains throughout the state. Biden is banking on a coalition of African American voters in cities like Detroit and suburban college educated white voters. But recent results have also seen him increasing his share of other white voters, and he has a legacy of tight ties with labor unions -- a traditionally strong Michigan constituency -- that could help him move onto Sanders' turf. Initial exit polls spelled out some good news for the former vice president. The exit polls showed Biden was trusted by roughly half of Democratic primary voters in Michigan to handle a major crisis, compared to about a third who said the same of Sanders. In Missouri, about 6 in 10 said they would trust Biden to handle a major crisis compared to about a quarter who said the same of Sanders. In a 2018 midterm election preview of Tuesday's race, now-Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faced down a primary challenge from Sanders-supported candidate Abdul el-Sayed, who is now a CNN commentator. Whitmer has endorsed Biden, who may profit from her political network given his own rudimentary organization in post-Super Tuesday states. Biden did have a fundraising surge after Super Tuesday, but has only had a week to use that to bolster his organization in states like Michigan. Michigan will hand out 125 pledged delegates on Tuesday night, the most on offer on the second Super Tuesday. Biden and Sanders wage endorsement duel Sanders is highlighting his own big endorsement, that of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who won a caucus in Michigan during his 1988 presidential campaign and may offer the Vermont senator an opening into the state's critical African American community. He is also slamming Biden for his past support for trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement and the former vice president's support of trade deals with China, which he says helped to devastate manufacturing in Michigan. And Sanders believes he is far better positioned than the former vice president to beat Trump, despite the contrary views of the centrist portions of party that are gathering around Biden. "This is really a no-brainer. Our campaign is the campaign that can bring young people into the political process, that can speak to working class people, some of whom voted for Trump," Sanders said on "Cuomo Prime Time" on CNN on Monday. The Biden campaign however is increasingly confident about its prospects in Michigan, and also has high hopes that Mississippi and Missouri could help the veteran Democrat begin to build an unassailable delegate lead. "This is Bernie's night to prove he's still viable," a Biden adviser told CNN's Arlette Saenz, while predicting that the result in Michigan would be "close." "Our strategy is to make up any deficit we might have in Michigan by running up the score in advantageous counties in Mississippi and other places, like we did on Super Tuesday," the adviser said. "But bottom line, this is Bernie's night to prove he's still viable. Not ours. We expect to pick up some delegates tonight but if Bernie doesn't perform well tonight, this could be game over for Bernie and the bros." Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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