Biden鈥檚 big turnaround upends campaign narrative
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Politics Editor
| WASHINGTON
Dear reader:
It鈥檚 hard to believe that just five days ago, political reporters were writing stories about聽 While many believed the former vice president was likely to win South Carolina, no one predicted the kind of comeback his victory on Saturday would launch.
Last night, Mr. Biden absolutely smashed expectations, turning the entire campaign narrative on its head. Heading into Super Tuesday, pundits were estimating the for him would be to trail Sen. Bernie Sanders by some 60 delegates. Instead, Mr. Biden is now well ahead in the projected delegate count.
Why We Wrote This
The former vice president鈥檚 Super Tuesday victories have given him a lead in the delegate count and make him the frontrunner once again.
鈥淭his is his nomination to lose,鈥� declared former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe this morning on MSNBC.
It wasn鈥檛 just the size but the speed of Mr. Biden鈥檚 turnaround that was so stunning. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen a race move 15 points basically overnight,鈥� Addisu Demissie, the former campaign manager for Sen. Cory Booker鈥檚 presidential bid. 鈥淟et alone 15 separate races doing it in concert, from coast to coast, almost regardless of demographics.鈥�
That sudden, dramatic swing was in part spurred by a Democratic electorate that had been for much of the campaign. At the last minute, Mr. Biden鈥檚 South Carolina win 鈥� followed by Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropping out and endorsing him 鈥� helped clarify things.
In today鈥檚 online-all-the-time, interconnected world, timing is everything. The rosy news cycles Mr. Biden got out of South Carolina were worth more than Senator Sanders鈥檚 grassroots organizing or Michael Bloomberg鈥檚 wall-to-wall advertising.
Those same factors still contain warnings for Mr. Biden. Many voters had been undecided because the former vice president 鈥� the frontrunner for much of the campaign 鈥� has on the trail. And if a strong news cycle can lead to positive electoral outcomes, a few bad ones could do serious damage.
But on the single biggest day of the primary campaign, Mr. Biden met the moment. 鈥淲e were told, 鈥榃ell, when you got to Super Tuesday, it would be over,鈥欌�� an almost giddy Mr. Biden declared last night. 鈥淲ell, it may be over for the other guy.鈥�
Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.
