Biden takes early lead in Super Tuesday primaries

By Dayo Benson Editor Politics,Law/Human Rights New York

Buoyed by his self predicted South Carolina commanding victory, former Vice President Joe Biden, shot into early lead at the Super Tuesday Democratic Presidential primaries held in 14 states and a United States territory.

Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar’s endorsements of Biden added momentum to his campaign.

Early result showed that Biden won Virginia which has 91 delegates and North Carolina which has 110 delegates, the third largest in the country. Alabama with 52 delegates also went to Biden as well as Oklahoma. Biden also won Tennessee, Minnesota, Arkansas. Senator Bernie Sanders won Vermont and Colorado.

A total of 1,344 delegates are at stake in the contest. A total of 1,991 delegates are required before a candidate can emerge as the Nominee at the Democratic National Convention. California has the largest delegates 415, followed by Texas with 228 delegates.

True to his words, Biden last Saturday night bounced back into reckoning with an emphatic win in South Carolina’s Democratic Presidential primary. The victory which was Biden’s first, bolstered his chances for last night primaries.

Biden won with 245,069 representing 48.7%, followed by Bernie Sanders who came distant second with 20%. Billionaire Tom Steyer who came third with 11.4% has dropped out of the race. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg placed fourth with a single digit 8% which did not give him any delegate. He dropped out on Sunday. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar were in fifth and sixth positions with 7% and 3% respectively. Klobuchar has followed the footsteps of Steyer and Buttigieg.

South Carolina was expected to shape the outcomes of subsequent primaries because of its demographic diversity. About 67% of the population is black.

An estimated 60% African Americans voted for Biden in the primary which also witnessed 40% whites and 2% Latino voters turnout.

Biden had promised to win South Carolina despite a streak of poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire where he finished in fourth and fifth positions respectively. He came second behind Sanders in Nevada. South Carolina changed the dynamics of the Democratic nomination race which placed Sanders as a front runner.

The former Vice President whom many had literally counted out of contest, set the tone for the victory when he stunned critics with his sterling performance at the South Carolina’s Presidential debate, the 10th in the series, last Wednesday night.

In his victory speech in Columbus, South Carolina’s capital last Saturday night, Biden said his candidacy was declared dead few days ago, but added that “We are alive because of you.”
He pointed out that the party’s decision on whoever emerged as nominee would “determine what we stand for.”

He promised to build on the legacy of former President Barack Obama, “ We want Democrats that are Democrats. We want Obama/Biden Democrats. We have the option of building on Obama’s legacy”, said Biden. He picked holes in the ideology of one of the candidates, even as he vowed to reform America’s criminal justice system.

“We need change now, most Americans don’t want revolution, talk is cheap”, he said.
Biden stated that the race “ is about the soul of America. The days of Donald Trump’s divisiveness will soon be over. Get up, let’s do it together and take back our country “ he said.