By Ellyn Fritz ||Staff Writer
Within the past week, the first openly gay presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg, the two female front-runners, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Kloubacher, and Michael Bloomberg all dropped out of the race for the Democratic nominee.
Pete Buttigieg’s announcement came a day after he finished fourth in South Carolina’s Democratic Primary, in a virtual tie in Iowa’s caucuses, then second in New Hampshire and third in Nevada. When he officially suspended his campaign last Sunday evening on March 1st in South Bend, Alameda, he told the crowd, “The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close, we have a responsibility to consider the effect of remaining in this race any further.” On March 2nd, Amy Kloubachur ended her 2020 presidential campaign, stating “It is up to us, all of us, to put our country back together, to heal this country and then to build something even greater,” Klobuchar said at a Biden campaign event in Dallas, Texas. “I believe we can do this together, and that is why today I am ending my campaign and endorsing Joe Biden for president,” the Minnesota senator said.
On the eve of Super Tuesday, Buttigieg, Kloubachur, and former Texas representative Beto O’Rourke all endorsed Joe Biden with the collective goal of the Democratic party “win[ing] big,” as Klouchachur said at a Biden campaign event in Dallas, Texas.
Last Tuesday was the biggest day of the 2020 primaries as one-third of all delegates were awarded. Joe Biden came out on top with 514 delegates awarded, winning Alaska, Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Bernie Sanders followed closely in the race, winning 435 delegates, with a big win in California, along with winning Colorado, Utah, and Vermont.
Elizabeth Warren, once a front runner in the race known for her progressive policy proposals, failed to attract a broader political coalition in the Democratic Party and collected 33 delegates on Tuesday. Since announcing her withdrawal on Thursday, both Sanders and Biden have spoken with her about her highly sought after political endorsement, however, Warren has revealed very little on her intentions. Michael Bloomberg was awarded a mere 23 delegates on Tuesday and shortly after dropped out of the presidential race, promising to financially back Joe Biden.
Almost two weeks ago, Bernie Sanders was considered to have a clear upper hand in the 2020 presidential race; however, the results of Super Tuesday demonstrate the sudden shift in the political momentum. Sanders was expecting victories in Texas and Maine, however, Biden took those wins. Sanders campaign team has not yet managed to generate the soaring turnout among young voters that he had been counting on to secure the nomination, leaving him to restrategize over the next few weeks to successfully combat Biden’s current momentum.
Sophomore Ellyn Fritz is a staff writer. Her email is efritz@fandm.edu.