Super Tuesday results revive Joe Biden campaign

Well, there we have it, folks. In just two weeks, the presidential race has been whittled down to three candidates — one of which, Tulsi Gabbard, is likely to drop out in the next few weeks. And, at the top sits Joe Biden, who had an astounding victory on Super Tuesday. 

Prior to Tuesday, Biden was a close second to running mate Bernie Sanders. But, after the March 3 primary, the candidate rose to reclaim his front-runner status and surpassed Sanders in the national polls. Of the 14 states, Biden won 10 and Bernie won the remaining four, including the grand prize: California. 

In terms of polling and delegate numbers, Biden and Sanders are very close. Sanders has 573 delegates and a national polling average of 31.3 percent. Biden, on the other hand, pulls away with 664 delegates and a national polling average of 42.3 percent. It is still unclear at this point in time who the Democratic nominee will be. 

One of the most surprising results to me from Super Tuesday was Biden’s win in Texas. Of course, this is mainly because I live in liberal Austin and am a young voter — the perfect mixture for an avid Bernie following. When I was at The University of Texas a few weeks ago, college students running a stand in the main courtyard were handing out stickers and encouraging passerby to “Feel the Bern”. We are most definitely a radically liberal, Democratic city; The rest of Texas is not. In Travis County, KVUE found that 37.4 percent of Democratic voters voted for Sanders and 23.62 percent voted for Biden. 

I also thought that the skepticism surrounding Biden’s past policy and actions was too strong for him to get an overwhelming vote. But, as I’ve noted in my past columns, it seems that voters tend to vote in their comfort. Biden is trustworthy. He’s seen the White House. He’s been in big rooms where big things happen. He knows the job of the president. Of course, Sanders is no amatuer, but he does not have the same presidential experience that Biden gained as Vice President. 

This idea is represented, again, by the polling data in Central Texas. According to data, as you venture out to more rural areas, a greater percentage of Democratic voters vote for Biden. So, while Biden only got 23.62 percent of Democratic votes in Travis County, he received an overwhelming percentage of 40.0 percent of Democratic votes in Llano. This extreme difference in voters within the same party is interesting to look at, and it shows the types of voters Biden and Sanders attract. 

Another result of Super Tuesday was the amount of candidates that dropped from the presidential race. Since my last column was published, Amy Klobuchar, Mike Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren suspended their campaigns for the presidency. 

Of the three Democratic candidates that dropped out this week, both Klobuchar and Bloomberg have endorsed Biden for president. Biden’s victory on Super Tuesday has made him the most immediate winner in the Democratic race. Warren has yet to endorse a candidate and is likely waiting until their is a clear winner between Biden and Sanders. 

Obviously, when you look at policy and radicality, Warren is more aligned with Sanders. While she shirks away from the title of “Democratic Socialist”, she checks many of the boxes in terms of healthcare and spending. However, because of Sanders’ less-than satisfactory performance on Super Tuesday, Warren’s campaign seems hesitant to endorse him. It is assumed that she will wait, as she did for Hillary Clinton in 2016, until there is a clear Democratic nominee.

So, Biden or Bernie? That is the question our country must answer before Nov. 3.