Former Vice President, Joe Biden seems to be leading the pack with a major win in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona on Tuesday, over Bernie Sanders. The battle for the 2020 Democratic Presidential ticket still rages on despite America’s ongoing battle with the Coronavirus Disease that has resulted in travel bans and a lockdown that threatens to affect the world’s economic superpower.
Accelerating his momentum in the race as the Democratic candidate to beat, Biden steamrolled over the only other candidate left in a once densely populated list, Senator Bernie Sanders. With slam-dunks in the three states, Biden has pushed his previous delegate point to a whopping 1093, which inches him closer to the 1,991 number of delegates needed to secure the nomination ticket.
What do the results say?
Biden won the biggest prize in Florida where he won 62% of the 219 delegates available in the state which amounts to about 130 delegates. Senator Sanders secured only 23% taking just 48 delegates, with the rest to be distributed. Biden continued his winning streak in Illinois, with most precincts reporting, where he led the Vermont senator by 59% to 36%. Likewise, with most votes counted in Arizona, he has a double-digit lead over Sanders in the south-western state.
Reactions to the Biden Wins
With Sanders still a favourite among young people in the country, Biden has reached out to the young voting community through a live stream video posted after the Florida and Illinois results were announced, where he said: “So let me say especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Senator Sanders, I hear you. I know what’s at stake,” he also added, “I know what we have to do. Our goal as a campaign and my goal as a candidate for president are to unify this party and then to unify the nation.”
As Biden’s chances at the ticket become more glaring, Bernie Sanders is faced with the dilemma of whether to stay and fight for the liberal agenda, which he has championed for over the years or simply step aside and work with the party under Biden, to unseat Trump come November 2020.
