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Following his showing on Super Tuesday, billionaire and former mayor of New York Mike Bloomberg has dropped out of the presidential race. Wednesday morning, following his ill-fated, self-funded bid to become the Democratic nominee for president, Bloomberg announced his plans to drop out of the race and endorse former vice president Joe Biden.
Biden has enjoyed a wellspring of endorsements from numerous candidates in the last week, as a flurry of centrists dropped from the race to make room for him and endorse his bid for the nomination. On Sunday, Pete Buttigieg dropped from the race and threw his endorsement behind Biden. Then, on Monday, Amy Klobuchar followed suit.
Bloomberg’s bid for the presidency was a long-shot: the former Republican mayor of New York spent $500 million of his own money on advertising and campaigning for Super Tuesday states. In fact, Bloomberg’s name was even on the ballot until Tuesday, as he skipped the states voting prior to the major primary event.
Bloomberg’s massive campaign was entirely self-funded, a strange move for an operation that would have thousands of people on its payroll. Companies like Bloomberg’s own self-named conglomerate had nothing but positive projections for the long-shot bid. But following the sudden resurgence of Joe Biden, it’s clear voters only have one centrist on their minds.
Progressive candidate Bernie Sanders was enjoying the lead in delegates before Super Tuesday. That contest has since awarded Biden the lead. However, the two candidates are still neck-and-neck, and there are many states who have not yet voted. Many have noted how odd it is that progressive candidate Elizabeth Warren is still in the race. They’re especially confused after her abysmal Super Tuesday showing.
While Warren hangs tough, many progressive voters are wondering why. She is continuing her campaign and dividing the progressive vote while moderates fall in behind Biden. The apparent lack of solidarity has led to many accusing Warren of acting only as a spoiler. They think she is attempting to bleed votes away from Sanders while making way for Biden to be the nominee.
Sanders is enjoying a wave of young, populist voting that is built from a diverse coalition. The Vermont senator has referred to his campaign as a political revolution. He says it’s more of a movement than a single candidate’s presidential bid.
Biden, on the other hand, has been popular with older people wishing for a return to the norm. He is also popular with black voters, thanks to Biden’s tenure under Barack Obama.
