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2020 election

Biden Takes Strong Lead in Race for Democratic Nomination

Tuesday’s Democratic primary elections—which included Michigan, Idaho, North Dakota, Washington, Mississippi and Missouri—saw Joe Biden consolidate his sizeable lead over Bernie Sanders from Super Tuesday into what is seeming more and more a likely nomination.

Biden’s resurgence in the race came after a strong results in South Carolina on February 29, 2020, which then prompted fellow moderate candidates Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg to drop out and endorse Biden on the eve of Super Tuesday when approximately one-third of the delegates were up for grabs. It was a noteworthy move, especially for Buttigieg who came out of the first race, Iowa, on top, where Biden finished in fourth.

Biden’s strong results follow a strong Super Tuesday

Buttigieg’s and Klobuchar’s endorsements of Biden turned the tide in a race which had once included 28 candidates. Biden ended up winning 10 out of the 15 states and territories that voted. Sanders, on the other hand, won four states.

Michael Bloomberg won American Samoa, although he has now dropped out and endorsed Biden, after spending half a billion dollars of his own money on his campaign. Elizabeth Warren, who once led in the polls nationally, failed to win any states and has since dropped out. She has not yet endorsed either candidate.

Tulsi Gabbard, who is still technically in the race, also failed to pick up any wins.

We have the background, take us to March 10

Replicating the combination of voters that delivered such a landslide on Super Tuesday, Biden won Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi with overwhelming support from African Americans and with large margins among suburban and rural white voters. Biden was also named the winner in Idaho.

North Dakota and Washington are yet to be called, although in both states Sanders currently has a small lead.

By pulling strongly ahead of Sanders for a second consecutive week, Biden demonstrated that his success on Super Tuesday was more than fleeting luck, and that his candidacy represented a broad coalition of democratic voters.

In a speech on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Biden said voters had put him “a step closer to restoring decency, dignity and honor to the White House.” Biden then addressed Sanders supporters with an appeal for unity.

“We share a common goal,” Biden said, “and together we’ll defeat Donald Trump.”

For his part, Sanders did not choose to address supporters on Tuesday night, leaving an unusual void. Although both Democratic candidates have recently called off political rallies over coronavirus concerns.

What’s next for Bernie?

Even in his moment of triumph, Biden made very little headway with young and progressive voters, who have remained steadfast Sanders supporters even now. Supporters point to the delegate math as a sign that there could still be an upset.

There are 3,979 delegates, and 1,632 have been allocated so far. Of those, Biden has 823 delegates and Sanders has 663. Tulsi Gabbard has two. Results are still rolling it, but it’s not mathematically impossible for Sanders to win.

However, the states that are left will not be easy ones for Sanders.

Take me to 2016

It’s worth taking a look at what happened in the 2016 Democratic primary race for comparison. Despite his campaign receiving more coverage and attention this time around, Sanders was actually performing far better in 2016.

Back then, he turned out more voters, won by larger margins and generally won more states. Many point out that the race was filled with candidates this time, making it harder for all parties involved. However, even yesterday’s elections which had narrowed to a two-man race, showed signs of Sanders disintegrating coalition: he lost Michigan and Idaho yesterday, but won it in 2016.

Coming up

Seven more states and territories will vote before the end of March, with 11 following in April. April’s primaries include New York, the last big delegate day of the race. If one candidate dominates most states late in the primaries, party leaders will most likely move to get behind that person and seek to bring the race to an end, allowing time for Democratic constituents to rally behind a single candidate and build a unified coalition before the general election in November.

However, primaries continue through early June, and Sanders stayed in the race until then last time—even clinching a win in Montana, a June primary state. So it remains to be seen what will happen.

For more information about primary schedules, visit here. To check if you’re registered to vote, visit here.

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Bernie Wins New Hampshire Primary, Buttigieg a Close Second

Following the indecision and bungled caucus in Iowa, the race for Democratic nominee for President finally has a result to rally around. Senator Bernie Sanders narrowly won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday with a tight lead over more moderate candidate former mayor Pete Buttigieg.

“This victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” declared Sanders last night.

The other 2020 frontrunners, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren, finished third and fourth respectively. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who many previously believed would be the nominee, finished in a far fifth place, giving his campaign a tough road ahead.

Technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang who campaigned heavily on the issue of setting a Universal Basic Income dropped out of the race after securing less than three percent of the vote and no delegates. Colorado Senator Michael Bennet also ended his campaign.

In New Hampshire Primary, Bernie Sanders benefitted from a field that has divided voters

With only 26 percent of the vote, Sanders eked out the lowest winning Democratic primary vote share in New Hampshire in almost 70 years. This is especially noteworthy, as in 2016, Sanders beat Hillary Clinton with 60 percent of the vote to her 38 percent.

However, the race is strikingly different this time. The field has divided voters between two progressive candidates (Sanders and Warren) and three moderate ones (Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Biden). Historically, by the time candidates reach the New Hampshire primary, the field has narrowed dramatically. And while the field has been culled from its initial 28 down to its current nine, that’s still more strong candidates than voters typically encounter in New Hampshire.

Some needed momentum after Iowa

After last week’s debacle in Iowa, candidates felt robbed of a chance to head into New Hampshire with some momentum from a declared victory. A mishandled app, combined with an already complex system of counting votes, lead to prolonged period without any clear results.

Pete Buttgieg declared victory before any results were in, leading many to criticize him campaign. #MayorCheat began trending on Twitter, and reporters pointed out the financial connection between the tech company that designed the caucus app and Buttigieg’s campaign.

After a recount several days later, the results did show that Buttigieg had won with a narrow victory of 0.1 percent and one delegate. However, the momentum candidates usually gain from a victory in Iowa—historically, this is when Barack Obama’s campaign really gained traction—was lost in a packed news week that included a highly divisive and showy State of the Union speech and President Trump’s impeachment vote that resulted in an acquittal.

An emboldened President Trump, watching chaos in the first Democratic caucus and certain he was to be acquitted later that week, declared himself the winner of Iowa. Polling reflecting this claim, with Trump’s approval rating going up 0.4 percent between the beginning of last week and the end.

After New Hampshire primary, is Bernie a sure thing?

The New Hampshire primary is historically the point in the race when the front runner becomes, if not inevitable, nearly so. After New Hampshire, often the electorate sees candidates end their campaigns, throwing their endorsements behind the frontrunners. And while Tuesday’s race did see Yang and Bennet drop out, neither candidate was a clear threat to any of the five leading figures.

Sanders’ campaign is already benefitting from his strong performance in New Hampshire, as well as Iowa. He’s also the only frontrunner who has raised enough money to finance a robust advertising and get-out-the-vote effort in Nevada and South Carolina, the next two states to vote, as well as in the 15 states and territories that vote on Super Tuesday, March 3.

Strong results and a flush purse are weighing heavily in Sanders’ favor. However, he still faces daunting obstacles. Most notably, he has not yet demonstrated an ability to build a broader coalition beyond his loyal faction of progressives.

Nevada’s upcoming caucus will also test the candidate’s popularity with minority voters, of whom there were not many in the majority white Iowa and New Hampshire.

Former New York City Mayor and self-funding candidate Michael Bloomberg may also be a formidable challenge in the upcoming races. Bloomberg entered the race in November—far later than the other candidates—planning to use his vast wealth to run a different kind of campaign. He didn’t competed in the first nominating states, but he’s hoping to make a strong showing on Super Tuesday. Polls currently show Bloomberg rising nationally in some of those contests, in part because he’s been one of the only candidates who has been able to buy advertising in those states.

Elusive electability

For primary voters, their concern in 2020 is less about picking a certain nominee and more about making sure that nominee is someone the electorate can rally around. The 2016 election paralyzed democratic voters who no longer trust their own analysis and instincts. Democrats are worried about one thing: Who can beat Donald Trump.

Democrats are worried about one thing: Who can beat Donald Trump.

When viewed through that lens, choosing from the myriad of candidates becomes infinitely more complicated.

Although Sanders has run a strong campaign so far, he’s proven polarizing to moderate democrats. And there are deep doubts across much of the party about his ability to win the general election. It is unclear whether he will be able to ease those concerns in time to take control of the race during March.

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Essential Guide to the 2020 Election

On November 3, 2020, Americans will head to the polls and render their verdict on Donald Trump’s presidency. For many reasons, this election is looming larger than those in previous years—so much so that 25 individuals (23 Democrats and two Republicans) have announced their candidacy for president in 2020.

With that many names to keep track of, not to mention the issues, we’ve broken it down into an essential guide.

Why is everything so wild?

In an average year, maybe two or three people will run against each other for the party nomination for president. This year, there are 25 people in the running, with three that have already dropped out.

This election is about Trump. In 2016, the current President pulled off a mammoth political upset against Hillary Clinton, taking swing states such as Florida and North Carolina, while overcoming the supposed “blue wall” in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. This time the candidates are different, the issues are different and the electorate has changed. Everyone is watching with bated breath wondering, can Trump do it again?

While most attention is focused on the presidency, the general election will also determine control of Congress, state legislatures and governorships. Power in the Senate will be up for grabs, with 34 out of 100 seats up for election in 2020—about a third of those seats look competitive. Democrats will also try to defend their majority in the House of Representatives.

Who can vote?

There are more than 224 million people of voting age in the US. The 2020 electorate will be more diverse and younger than ever before, according to a January 2019 analysis from the Pew Research Center. Non-white voters will account for a third of eligible voters—their largest share ever—and one in 10 eligible voters will be from Gen Z (between ages 18 and 23).

In 2016, about 30 percent of Americans who were eligible to vote decided not to or were blocked; however, given the surge in turnout for the 2018 midterm elections, 2020 could see an expanded electorate. However, experts say voter suppression and gerrymandering may have hindered Democrats in 2018 and may continue to counter the effects of a more enthusiastic voting base.

Explain primaries to me

The primaries and caucuses are a series of contents in all 50 states plus Washington DC and outlying territories, by which the party selects its presidential nominee. The goal for candidates is to amass a majority of delegates whose job it is to nominate the candidate. In some states, delegates are awarded on a winner-take-all basis; other states split their delegates proportionally among top winners.

The goal for candidates is to win early-voting states and create name recognition and a sense of momentum. Sometimes the nominee emerges quickly, but the last two major Democratic primary contests, pitting Barack Obama against Clinton and then Sanders against Clinton, have lasted from the Iowa caucuses in January through late spring.

Conventions

After the primaries, the two parties will hold their national conventions, at which they will officially designate their candidates. The conventions are a mix of political business, theater and party. The Democratic national convention is July 13-16, 2020, and the Republican convention is a month later, from August 24-27.

Then the race begins

The general election, the race for president that most voters think of, begins in earnest after the conventions when there are two clear candidates. This is when the candidates hit the campaign trail, unveil their running mates and step up to the national debate stage. For Trump, his work will also include the business of the presidency.

Then November 3 will come, votes will be cast and it will all come down to the electoral college.

Important dates

  • September 12-13 Next democratic debates
  • February 3 Iowa caucuses kick off the primaries
  • March 3 Super Tuesday
  • July 13-16 Democratic national convention
  • August 24-27 Republican national convention
  • November 3 Election day

 

Registering to vote

The deadlines to register to vote vary by state. Some states allow voters to register in person on election day, others set a deadline at as much as 30 days before election day.

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