With almost half of all states voting in the Democratic primary, Joe Biden attempts to pad his lead over Bernie Sanders and deliver the knockout blow on Super Tuesday Part III.
On March 17, Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio were slated to hold the next round of primary votes, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, several of the states’ governors are recommending delaying the voting until a later date or extending the vote. But at this point, it might not even matter.
With Biden’s poll numbers shooting above 50%, the idea of a contested Democratic convention between five or six candidates in the summer is a distant memory.
You can already tell that Biden has shifted his sights from the primary to the general election based on his address to the nation on the coronavirus to counter President Trump’s Oval Office address.
“Unfortunately, this virus laid bare the severe shortcomings of the current administration,” Biden said in his address. “Public fears are being compounded by pervasive lack of trust in this president fueled by adversarial relationship with the truth that he continues to have.”
So, with the door seemingly all but closed on Sanders, why is he still running? It’s tough to say. For the same reason that virtually every sports team doesn’t forfeit a contest when they’re in the hole, there’s still a chance. Sanders can rally back to take the lead. But even if that’s not the case, Sanders has the opportunity to pull Biden further to the left on some issues to ensure that the progressive wing of the party gets some representation on the national level.
Now, let’s take a quick look at Arizona. In this year’s Senate race, Republican incumbent Martha McSally is facing stiff competition from likely Democratic nominee Mark Kelly. Kelly is a retired astronaut and the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who nearly died from a gunshot wound to the head during a mass shooting in 2011. McSally was appointed to the late-John McCain’s Senate seat following her loss to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema in 2018.
