This week all eyes were in the US state of Nevada, where the Democratic Party held its second caucus to select their preferred presidential nominee. Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, Nevada has a large minority population. For the first time in this election season, the candidates made their case to a population that is representative of the party’s base.

Going into the caucus, Senator Bernie Sanders was leading according to a CNN’s Poll of Polls. He had 28 per cent of support among registered Democrats and former Vice President Joe Biden came in second | with 16 per cent support. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg were the only other candidates to  register double-digit support.

 

At the time of recording, 43 per cent of the precincts were reporting results. Sanders has a vote share of nearly 47  per cent, while Biden has 20 per cent. Mayor Pete has come in third, with 15 per cent. Warren, Steyer and Klobuchar have single digit vote shares. So far, only Sanders has been awarded seven delegates.

With this, Sanders has solidified his position as the front runner.

With Nevada in the bag, he has proven that his extensive supporter base, consisting of blue-collar workers and college goers, has succeeded in popularising his so-called radical policies like ‘Medicare for all’ and cancelation of student loans. This win also shows that his effort to reach out to minority voters is effective. 

But before we go any further, let’s go back to the beginning of the week when the Democratic Party announced that Mike Bloomberg was eligible to participate in the party’s ninth debate, which was held on Tuesday. This was his first appearance in these debates.

Bloomberg entered the race in November 2019, and is focusing his energy and money on the contests in March, skipping the first four early voting states. Even so, other candidates did not spare him, attacking him from the get go. Sanders, Biden and Warren harped on his controversial past like the ‘stop and frisk’ policy, treatment of women and his support to big businesses during the economic crisis in 2008.

The knock-out punch came from Warren, who said: “We’re running against a billionaire who calls women ‘fat broads’ and ‘horse-face lesbians’. And, no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.”

Meanwhile, it was a quiet day for Republican voters because the Party voted last year to cancel its caucus. The decision was made to help clear the path to re-elect President Donald Trump. All 25 delegates were awarded to him.

The next state to go to poll is South Carolina, which has a large Black population.  It will hold its primary on February 29. Joe Biden is leading over Sanders in this state and the surprise third place leader is Tom Steyer. Biden will be looking to win big here to bolster his credentials.

Related Topics