After the first two elections of the 2020 presidential season, two things have become quite clear: one, Sanders is still the favorite to get the nomination, and two, Buttigieg is performing much better than anticipated.
Biden and Warren’s poor performances were also shocking.
With neither candidate taking home any delegates, it’s time for both Warren and Biden to consider dropping out of the race and endorsing candidates with politics similar to their own.
Warren’s poor performance in the first two states is very concerning for moderate Democrats who were hoping to see Bernie and Warren split the progressive vote. Instead, Warren barely found any success, and Sanders surged to popular victories in the first two contests.
Polling suggests Sanders will continue to excel in future primaries, and he is largely the favorite to win the nomination.
Warren continuing to run an expensive, floundering campaign could only hurt Sanders in the long run. Dividing the progressive flank of the party between two very similar candidates is a mistake. Sanders’ popular policy proposals, such as student debt relief and outright debt forgiveness, make him the favorite.
While the progressive vote is only split between two major candidates, moderates face a serious uphill battle in trying to unseat Sanders as the frontrunner.
Between candidates like Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Biden, there are too many competing moderates vying for votes. This could explain Biden’s surprisingly poor showing in the first two states.
Buttigieg was largely an unknown factor going into Iowa and New Hampshire. But his second-place finish in New Hampshire and tie in Iowa cement him as a candidate moderates should watch for.
Now could be a pivotal time for Biden to suspend his campaign and endorse another moderate centrist. This would give someone like Buttigieg or Klobuchar a fighting chance against Sanders.
At this point, Biden and Warren are running distraction campaigns that are simply bleeding votes from the frontrunners. It’s time to throw in the towel.
