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Biden's Allies Push To Win Over Centrists

Joe Biden and his allies are trying to consolidate centrist voters behind his candidacy in the final days before Saturday's South Carolina primary, with a key leader in the state endorsing him and a super PAC that backs his bid making a major push for large donations.

Mr. Biden is running out of time to turn the presidential race into a one-on-one battle with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic front-runner who ranks a close second - to Mr. Biden - in South Carolina in recent polls. The former vice president notched the biggest pre-primary prize in South Carolina on Wednsday, winning the endorsement of Rep. James Clyburn, the top-ranking black lawmaker in Congress and the most influential Democrat in the state. Mr. Clyburn invoked his late wife, Emily Clyburn, who died in September, and his constituents during an announcement in which he said he wanted the public to know who would back for president. "I know Joe. We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us," Mr. Clyburn said.

The endorsement comes as the pro-Biden super PAC called Unite the Country has been pressing donors to help defend Mr. Biden here and in the coming 14-sates delegate sweepstakes known as Super Tuesday. The super PAC's organizers said that "the challenge we face is obvious: Senator Sanders has a solid, though not nearly majority base among Democratic primary voters, and the rest of the Democratic vote is still split 4-5-6 ways."

Mr. Biden is competing in a crowded lane of center-left rivals - alongside former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar - that is splintering votes among multiple candidates as Mr. Sanders rises. The Vermont lawmaker won the Nevada primary on Saturday, secured a narrow win in New Hampshire and essentially tied for first in Iowa earlier this month. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has challenged Mr. Sanders for the hearts of liberals, has used two strong debate performances to present herself as the candidate who can unite the party, but she is lagging behind in delegates. And in South Carolina, billionaire activist Tom Steyer has spent more than $21 million in advertising, threatening to siphon votes from Mr. Biden among African-Americans.

As Mr. Sanders aims for victories in coming delegate-rich states such as California and Texas, the dynamics in the race among the group of moderates create little incentive for any candidate to leave the race unless they run out of money. Mr. Buttigieg, who narrowly won Iowa and finished second in New Hampshire, is trailing Mr. Sanders in the hunt for delegates. And both Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Warren have home-state contests on March 3, giving them a potential opportunity to capture delegates. Mr. Biden, who once led national polls, hopes to use South Carolina as a launchpad for the March states, including many in the South with large African-American communities.

No one wants to cede ground to billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into states holding primaries in March and will be on the ballot for the first time on Super Tuesday. That means that Mr. Sanders, as the leading liberal in the race, could pile up delegates on Super Tuesday and build a potentially insurmountable lead against a fractured field. "That's the dilemma," said Matt Bennett, a co-founder of the centrist think tank Third Way. "I don't think anyone has a solution to that problem." Mr. Bennett added: "Everyone stipulates that it would be better if we could get down to one sooner and no one has the faintest idea how that could possibly happen...No one is going to push any of them out of the race at this point."

Publicly, at least, no one is calling for any of the candidates to drop out. "I'm not in the life-coaching buisness, and I'm only giving advice to one candidates and that is Joe Bide," said Rep. Cedric Richmond (D., La.), a co-chairman of Mr. Biden's campaign, when asked if others should step aside. "Other campaigns will have to make their own decisions after we win South Carolina on Saturday." Jeff Weaver, a senior advisor to Mr. Sanders, recalled his role as Mr. Sanders' driver during the senator's long-shot - and losing - bid for governor in Vermont as a third-party candidate in 1986. "If people want to run, they should run," Mr. Weaver said. But he added: "It's no secret that there are a few candidates on stage for whom the next week may be decisive in their future prospects."

The pro-Biden super PAC has noted in its pitch to donors that several states holding primaries on March 3 have large African-American populations that could help the former vice president, including Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. "It boils down to this: The month of March will decide whether Democrats will nominate Senator Sanders or someone else," organizers said in their memo. "The only other viable option at this point is Joe Biden. But the time to act is now."

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Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
"It boils down to this: The month of March will decide whether Democrats will nominate Senator Sanders or someone else," organizers said in their memo. "The only other viable option at this point is Joe Biden. But the time to act is now."

Regarding the last few lines - yes, yes, very good, but how has that argument worked out for Michael Bloomberg?

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Originally posted by Il Cattivo:

... Mr. Biden is running out of time to turn the presidential race into a one-on-one battle with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders...