The country has been waiting for something big to happen during the Democratic presidential primary: Super Tuesday delivered. Mike Bloomberg dropped out Wednesday morning, Bernie Sanders underperformed, and #Joementum is trending on Twitter as former Vice President Joe Biden was dubbed the “winner” of the night. Here are eight national opinions on results from the most important day of the Democratic primary so far.
The Washington Post published a piece by columnist Jennifer Rubin arguing that Super Tuesday gave former Vice President Joe Biden a “historic surge.”
“Super Tuesday is shaping up to be an overwhelming victory for former Vice President Joe Biden, whose campaign was hanging by a thread before South Carolina voted. In the space of four days, Biden swept to victory in the Palmetto State and picked up a slew of endorsements from former rivals and state and local Democratic officials.”
Ronald Brownstein, senior editor for The Atlantic, called Super Tuesday a “rude awakening” for Bernie Sanders
“The evening’s clearest message was that while the senator from Vermont has inspired a passionate depth of support, the breadth of his coalition remains too limited to win the nomination.”
USA Today published an opinion recap stating that “money couldn’t buy Bloomberg Super Tuesday love.”
“Repeat after me: You. Can’t. Buy. American. Elections. Mike Bloomberg should have been able to rent himself enough historians and political scientists to tell him that fact.” — David Mastio, deputy editorial page editor.
Washington Examiner commentary writer Brad Polumbo dismissed Bloomberg with a “good riddance.”
“The billionaire is finally dropping out of the Democratic race. This is good news for all those who reject elitism, hypocrisy and care about our constitutional freedoms and civil liberties.”
Fox News contributor Liz Peek opined that “Super Tuesday results prove Americans are not ready for a revolution.”
“The biggest story of the night, was not the poor showing by Bloomberg, but the recovery by Biden. Exactly one week ago, professionals put the odds of Sanders winning the nomination at 57%, compared to 10% for Biden. As Super Tuesday dawned, Biden’s chances, compiled by Real Clear Politics, had soared to 59% and Sanders’ had plummeted to 37%.”
CNN opinion writers also weighed in on Super Tuesday results.
“It wasn’t just Biden winning. Sanders started sliding — not only compared to Biden, but also compared to his own performance in 2016 when he ran against Hillary Clinton. In some states where Sanders ended in first place, where Biden had all but conceded, Sanders produced much weaker results than he and the pundits expected.” — Frida Ghitis, CNN opinion contributor.
Deseret News contributor Hal Boyd stated that Biden’s success may signal a resurgence of conservatism.
“Indeed, just as Bernie Sanders’ disheveled brand of ‘democratic socialism’ seemed poised to capture the Democratic Party’s nomination, it was the swift and dramatic intervention of party loyalists — moderates — that seemed to upend the race.”