Local political expert weighs in on Biden’s Super Tuesday success

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Political expert Jack Colwell was live in ABC57’s studio on Wednesday to discuss Super Tuesday.

As of early Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden was projected to win the most states of any of the candidates during Super Tuesday.

“South Carolina gave him [Biden] momentum and then all of those endorsements, including Mayor Pete on Monday night, added to the momentum and it just carried through, state after state, right through the south,” Colwell said.

Biden drew in three large endorsements on the eve of Super Tuesday, earning the support of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar, who each suspended their own presidential campaigns on Sunday and Monday respectively. Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke also endorsed Biden on Monday.

Klobuchar’s home state of Minnesota wound up backing Biden on Super Tuesday, a feat Colwell said is quite impressive.

“Usually you can’t swing your supporters overnight to someone else. But she [Klobuchar] did,” Colwell said.

Maine and California were still reporting Wednesday morning, but with 91% of the vote in, it appears that Biden could win Maine.

Senator Bernie Sanders is at the top in California with 32.7% of votes to Biden’s 23.6%, with nearly half of the state reporting.

“Now California is still out. It takes days to get all of the results there but clearly he [Biden] won’t be just blown away in California as some were forecasting earlier,” Colwell said.

On Wednesday, Biden was listed as the projected winner of Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

“It’s amazing that you can win these states without ever going there,” Colwell said.

Sanders was projected to win Colorado, Utah, and Vermont.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg won one U.S. territory, the American Samoa.

Senator Elizabeth Warren suffered a defeat in her home state of Massachusetts. 

“It’s a two candidate race now. I think it’ll go on for a matter of months now, into the summer, close to the convention,” Colwell said.

Colwell also commented on a digital ad that appeared on Biden’s Twitter account on Super Tuesday, which featured Buttigieg.

“He may, instead of being Mayor Pete, be Secretary Pete, in some important cabinet position if Joe Biden goes on and wins,” Colwell said.