Joe Biden wanted to win the Virginia primary, he just didn’t try. But as soon as the polls officially closed at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Biden was declared the winner despite his lack of effort. Now, the former vice president will bring in a significant haul of delegates and get that much closer to taking the lead in the delegate count.
Contrast the strategy of billionaire Michael Bloomberg and Biden. Bloomberg used his personal wealth to spend $18 million on TV and digital ads across the state. Biden and his allies spent under $500,000.
Yet it’s Bloomberg, not Biden, who is struggling to meet the 15% viability threshold for statewide delegates (by overperforming in certain congressional districts, Bloomberg may still earn Virginia delegates). Biden, on the other hand, could get a majority of the votes statewide.
Money matters, but it doesn’t buy votes.
Not only was Biden outspent, but he was out-rallied. Bernie Sanders was in Virginia on Thursday, rallying 5,000 supporters in Richmond. He rallied more than 10,000 people on Saturday in Springfield and rallied again Saturday night in Virginia Beach.
Biden merely held one rally in Norfolk on Sunday night after his resounding victory in South Carolina on Saturday. He also had just one field office in the whole state.
It wasn’t money or campaigning that helped Biden, it was simple electability. About half of Virginia Democratic primary voters said they’d rather see the party nominate a candidate that can beat President Trump. It’s no coincidence that half also said Biden has the best chance of winning.
