Despite his solid showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, Pete Buttigieg had no further path to acquiring a significant portion of Democratic delegates, even in the case of a contested convention. Thus, he dropped out of the race prior to the crucial Super Tuesday race. And in doing so, he may have just reopened a path to the nomination for Joe Biden and his recently salvaged campaign.

On Saturday, Biden blew out his competitors in the South Carolina primary, not only winning most delegates but also proving his dominance among black voters, a bellwether of Democratic success since Michael Dukakis. But between Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s recent national surge and Michael Bloomberg spending half a billion to cut into Biden’s moderate lane, Biden seemed nonviable in too many states to win a significant portion of Super Tuesday delegates. Buttigieg, however, may have just given him the opening he needs.