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Vice President Joe Biden came up big with decisive victories in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona on Tuesday effectively put closing the door for Bernie Sanders.
The former vice president won all three states by wide enough margins that he now has more than half of the almost 2,000 he needs to secure the nomination. Just pause for a minute and remember February, when his campaign seemed on the brink of collapse. A lot can happen in a month.
Biden has received positive reviews for his sure-footed response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s in contrast to President Trump, who struggled in the early days with his crisis response, even fielding criticism from fellow republicans and conservative commentators.
In the early days of the campaign, Democratic voters wanted a rebel, an anti-establishment voice. Now Biden’s campaign believes that’s changed with voters looking for steady leadership and experience during a crisis.
The former vice president has other advantages as well. He is better positioned to snap up the white, middle-income men in the industrial Midwest who four years ago voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton, even if they were Democrats. They’ve shown up big for Biden in the primaries.
Message of Unity
Biden delivered televised remarks from his house in Delaware rather than give a victory speech in a crowded hotel ballroom. He called the pandemic, “a national emergency akin to a war.” But he also called for unity from Sanders supporters. All but asking them to join him in his quest for the White House.
