Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Four years ago this week, Michigan Democrats handed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) an unexpected victory and revived his foundering presidential campaign. On Tuesday night, history did not repeat itself.
Former vice president Joe Biden won Michigan’s make-or-break Democratic primary by what appeared to be a decisive margin. With 88 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, Biden was leading Sanders 53 to 37 percent.
The margin appeared to be far wider in other states that voted on “Big Tuesday.” In Missouri, Biden led Sanders 60 to 35 percent, and in Mississippi 81 to 15 percent. Both states were called for the former vice president as soon as polls closed Tuesday evening.
By early Wednesday morning, it appeared that Biden had also prevailed in Idaho — a state Sanders had won by 57 points in 2016. Sanders was leading only in Washington and North Dakota, though both races were too close to call.
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Thursday, March 5, 2020
Now, following Warren's announcement Thursday that she's exiting the 2020 race, Sanders is waiting to see whether she'll endorse his candidacy — and unite the progressive wing of the Democratic Party behind his campaign.
Speaking Thursday at Burlington International Airport, Sanders confirmed that he had spoken to Warren for a second day in row since her disappointing finish in the Super Tuesday primaries. He would not say whether he had asked for her support, but he characterized their conversation as "positive" and praised her candidacy.
"You know, I've been in politics for a little while, and I have seen many, many campaigns — including campaigns that have spent a lot of money — kind of fade away. The message fades away the day after the candidate drops out or loses," Sanders said. "That will not be the case with Sen. Warren."
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Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Though nearly 23,000 more Vermonters cast ballots in the Democratic primary on Tuesday than in 2016, roughly 36,000 fewer cast ballots for Sanders.
"I think we had a little bit of the new shiny toy phenomenon in 2016 ... It was exciting for Vermont," said Rich Clark, a pollster and Castleton University political science professor. "The bloom is off the rose, to some extent."
To be sure, Sanders still did remarkably well in Vermont. He won nearly 2.5 times as many votes as former vice president Joe Biden, who collected 22 percent, and more than four times as many votes as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who picked up just 12.5 percent. (Warren, meanwhile, came in a devastating third place in her home state of Massachusetts.)
Sanders won a plurality in every town and city in Vermont, except two. In Dorset, he and Biden each won 208 of 621 votes. And in the tiny Northeast Kingdom town of Brunswick, he and Biden each won seven of 20 votes.
But Sanders' inability to keep all of his rivals below the 15 percent "viability" threshold dramatically changed the delegate math in Vermont. According to Vermont Democratic Party chair Terje Anderson, Sanders will likely pick up 11 of the state's 16 pledged delegates, while Biden will take the remaining five.
Four years ago, Sanders shut out former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Vermont and claimed all 16 delegates.
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"I have every reason to believe that we're gonna win this thing," Sanders told reporters during a press conference Wednesday afternoon at his Church Street campaign office in downtown Burlington.
According to an NBC News projection, Biden won at least 458 delegates in the 15 contests held Wednesday, increasing his total to 511. Sanders collected 399, bringing his total to 459. Those numbers are expected to rise as more results are tallied, particularly in California, where Sanders outperformed Biden.
"Now I haven't seen the latest delegate count, but my guess is that after California is thrown into the hopper, it's going to be pretty close," Sanders said. "We may be up by a few. Biden maybe be up by a few. But I think we go forward basically neck and neck."
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Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Driving a green Subaru Forester, Sanders and his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, arrived at the Robert Miller Community and Recreation Center in Burlington's New North End around 10:30 a.m. They were met by a media scrum of dozens of reporters and camera crews who had traveled to Vermont ahead of Sanders' election night rally in Essex.
"Welcome to the state of Vermont. You've increased the GDP by 16 percent," Sanders quipped.
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Saturday, February 29, 2020
Former vice president Joe Biden, whose campaign had largely been written off after poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, trounced Sanders and the rest of the field in South Carolina on Saturday. With more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, Biden had picked up 49 percent of the vote. Sanders trailed with 20 percent and former hedge fund executive Tom Steyer with 11 percent.
Steyer, who had staked his campaign on a win in South Carolina, announced Saturday night that he would leave the race.
Speaking earlier that evening at a campaign rally in Norfolk, Va., Sanders highlighted his past successes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. "But you cannot win 'em all," he said. "A lot of states out there, and we did not win in South Carolina."
As the crowd booed, Sanders continued. "And that will not be the only defeat. There are a lot of states in this country. Nobody wins them all," he said. "I want to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory tonight. And now we enter Super Tuesday."
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Friday, February 28, 2020
If Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) continues to outperform a crowded field of presidential rivals, he could show up at this summer's Democratic National Convention with a plurality of delegates — but not the majority he needs to claim the party's nomination.
That's prompted some nervous Democrats to consider how they might deny him the nomination and install an alternative, even if he's favored by more voters. In interviews with 93 party officials this week, the New York Times found that many of them would be "willing to risk intraparty damage" to stop Sanders at the convention.
Several top Vermont Democrats, however, think that would be a bad idea.
"You know, we've got to keep our eye on the prize here, and the prize is beating Donald Trump," U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) told Seven Days. "If a candidate, including Bernie, clearly demonstrates the broadest support in the primary and then the convention outcome is different, I think that would be a challenge ... for our success in November."
Said state Rep. Mary Sullivan (D-Burlington): "I think it would be a big mistake."
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"I mean, there's a lot of ifs there, obviously, but this conversation is probably much different today than it was a month ago," Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said Thursday.
So what would happen to Sanders' Senate seat if he were to move up Pennsylvania Avenue?
Under Vermont law, the governor has six months from the date a vacancy occurs to hold a special election. The winner would complete Sanders' term, which expires in January 2025. The governor is also empowered to appoint an interim senator to fill the post until the special election took place.
Scott, a Republican, said he would abide by Vermont's tradition of naming a replacement from the same party as the outgoing officeholder — in Sanders' case, an independent. The governor said he would not appoint anyone to the interim position who planned to run in the special election because doing so would give that person "a leg up" in the race.
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Wednesday, February 26, 2020
“I’m hearing my name mentioned a little bit tonight,” Sanders quipped. “I wonder why!”
Already, former mayor Michael Bloomberg had called him Russian President Vladimir Putin’s preferred candidate. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) had argued that he couldn’t enact his progressive agenda. Former vice president Joe Biden had accused him of plotting to primary former president Barack Obama. And, for good measure, Biden had also blamed a mass shooting on him.
Consider it the frontrunner treatment.
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Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Sanders' campaign is planning a rally next Tuesday, March 3, at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, according to two town officials and a third source with direct knowledge of the plans. Campaign spokesperson Sarah Ford later confirmed it.
The rally would come as results arrive from the 14 states that vote on Super Tuesday. With roughly a third of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention on the line, a solid showing by Sanders could solidify his grasp on the nomination.
Planning is well under way, town officials said Tuesday. Lt. Robert Kissinger of the Essex Police Department said his agency is in discussions with the Expo over logistics, though "nothing has been finalized." According to Town Clerk Susan McNamara-Hill, Halvorson's Upstreet Cafe has requested a liquor permit for a "Bernie Sanders rally" next Tuesday at the Expo.
The campaign later announced details of the event: Doors open at 5:30 and the program begins at 7:30. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. Those interested in attending can RSVP here.
During his 2016 presidential race, Sanders held a Super Tuesday rally at the same location. Some 4,000 people attended that event, which featured speeches from Vermont politicians and music from Ben Folds and local artists.
Sanders has held just one other public campaign event in Vermont since joining the 2020 race: a Memorial Day Weekend rally in Montpelier last May.
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