It was tough to tell, based on the last Democratic primary debate CNN hosted on Sunday, March 15, who was still running for president. At the time, three candidates were viable: Senator Bernie Sanders, former vice president Joe Biden and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. However, the Democratic National Committee changed the qualifying rules for their March debate: at the time of the debate, the candidates must hold at least 20% of the delegates to participate. This knocked out Gabbard’s eligibility because she only had two delegates from the U.S. territory American Samoa. She officially dropped out of the race four days later on March 19 and endorsed Biden.
Out of a field of over 25 candidates, somehow the Democratic field has narrowed to two familiar faces. How did this happen?
Trump swept votes and shook up Washington because he’s not part of the swamp; he’s not with the in-crowd, and he doesn’t play by the traditional rules of politicians. I don’t know if either Biden or Sanders have what it takes to beat him; 2020 feels like a weird rematch where the Democrats are sending in Hillary’s big brother to take on the title holder. Unfortunately, neither Biden nor Sanders are bringing anything new to the table, and that could be their downfall.
For a party priding itself on progressive ideals and a desire for change, it seems stuck in the same rut. Both men are seasoned veterans of Washington; Sanders has been in Congress since 1991, first serving in the House and then moving to the Senate in 2007, and Biden served in the Senate from 1973 to 2009 before serving as vice president under President Barack Obama. Both have too much history in the District of Columbia to successfully beat a man who barely seems to belong there.
In the beginning, the Democratic party was overrun with young, moderate candidates. According to the Pew Research Center, over half of voting Democrats consider themselves moderate or conservative. Were these voters accurately represented in the primaries?
One could argue in the affirmative. Biden’s policies are less liberal than those ofSanders, though his methods are fumble-filled, at best. But although more former candidates are endorsing Biden than Sanders, he may not be a strong enough moderate to win a general election. Unlike many of the fresher faces who dropped out already, Biden’s own history and past blunders could weigh him down.
Perhaps the other candidates should not have dropped out so soon; all but three were out after March 5. Perhaps they’re relying too much on the results of Super Tuesday as an omen for their own campaigns. While a third of the available delegates were divided up that night, there are still 27 states and territories that have yet to hold their elections.
What does this mean for voters in the other 27 primaries? There is no reason — ever — not to vote. Even though you have much slimmer pickings, you can still be a part of the process that ultimately decides which Democrat will take on President Trump.