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Sanders wins big in Nevada but some Democrats worry
LAS VEGAS, Feb 24, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Bernie Sanders’ landslide victory in
Nevada’s Democratic nominating contest has scattered his moderate challengers
and injected his White House campaign with a fresh burst of momentum as he
drives into the next crucial battlegrounds.
With his strong result Saturday, the Vermont senator demonstrated an
ability to broaden a coalition beyond the narrow limits of leftist voters,
undercutting the argument from several moderates that he would not be able to
bridge the divide between progressives and centrists.
“He showed last night that he can energize our core base,” Howard Dean, a
former presidential aspirant himself and former head of the Democratic
National Committee, told CNN.
As of Sunday evening, Sanders was comfortably ahead in Nevada with 72
percent of precincts reporting.
The 78-year-old senator was leading the Democratic pack with 47.1 percent
of the vote, followed far behind by former vice president Joe Biden at 20.9
percent and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, at 13.6
percent.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar trailed at, respectively, 9.7
percent and 3.9 percent.
– ‘Incredibly impressive’ –
Sanders was quick to claim victory, saying his “multi-generational, multi-
racial coalition” was “going to sweep this country.”
Dean said the senator’s result in a state far more typical of America’s
demographic variety than the two earlier-voting states was “incredibly
impressive.”
But he quickly added that a more definitive result will come only after
voters in 14 states cast ballots on March 3, or “Super Tuesday.”
Before that comes South Carolina, which votes on February 29.
Biden’s once-strong prospects had faded sharply for weeks, but he said
Saturday that he felt “really good” about his second-place showing in Nevada
and shouldn’t be counted out.
His team is banking on a strong showing in South Carolina, where Biden has
enjoyed support among a majority-black Democratic electorate.
But Biden’s lead over Sanders in that state is evaporating quickly. On
Sunday, a RealClearPolitics average of national polls gave Biden just a 3
point lead over Sanders at 24.5 percent, compared to 12.5 points 10 days ago.
After Sanders came in virtually tied for first in Iowa and then won in New
Hampshire, his undeniable victory in Nevada places him squarely in the
driver’s seat, at least for now.
He leads national polls by an 11-point margin over Biden and by 13 points
over Mike Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who skipped the early voting
states to focus on Super Tuesday.
– Some Democrats worry –
Sanders’s progressive policies, including universal health care, higher
taxes on the wealthy and an increase in the minimum wage, have struck a chord
with millions of Americans.
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But some Democrats say those policies will make him an easy target for
President Donald Trump as a radical leftist, and that if he heads the
Democratic ticket in November, the party could face sweeping losses.
Trump on Saturday issued a sarcastic-sounding congratulations on Twitter to
the man he calls “Crazy Bernie.”
Asked if the Democrats’ majority in the House of Representatives might be
threatened if Sanders turned out to be Trump’s rival in November, one
powerful South Carolina Democrat said that it might.
It “would be a real burden for us in these states or congressional
districts that we have to do well in,” said James Clyburn, the House
Democratic whip.
“In those districts, it’s going to be tough to hold onto these jobs if you
have to make the case for accepting a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist.”
Buttigieg, while congratulating Sanders on his Nevada victory, offered a
stern warning against picking someone who he said sees “capitalism as the
root of all evil” to go up against the populist president.
– Looking to Super Tuesday –
Buttigieg’s campaign on Sunday called on the Nevada Democratic Party to
rectify what it said were “material irregularities” in the vote count and to
hold off on releasing final results.
Given the size of Sanders’ lead, the request was not expected to provoke
the same drama as the earlier confusion in Iowa over that state’s results.
Regardless, pressure seems certain now to grow on some lower-polling
Democratic moderates to withdraw to allow others to coalesce around a
centrist who might fare better against Trump.
Republican campaign advisor Mark McKinnon, speaking on CNN, predicted that
some lagging candidates will be flushed out of the race after Super Tuesday.
But the centrist alternatives face steep challenges, he added: Bloomberg
performed notably poorly in Wednesday’s Democratic debate, and “Biden does
not have the resources.”
Progressive candidate Warren vowed on Saturday to stay in the race despite
a third straight mediocre showing.
She renewed her attacks on Bloomberg, accusing him of trying to “buy this
election.”
Bloomberg has plowed a record $438 million of personal funds into his
campaign.
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