Former Vice President Joe Biden entered the 2020 presidential race as the Democratic Party front-runner, managing to hold on to his lead in national polls for nearly a year. After slowly melting away for months, Biden’s advantage vanished following underwhelming showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.
During two different fundraisers in New York City earlier this week, Biden projected confidence. According to a report from The Washington Examiner , the former vice president reassured wealthy donors that “things look good” for his candidacy and that they will look even better after he wins South Carolina.
“They know me. It’s what I come from,” Biden said of the African-American community in the Palmetto State, where he enjoys tremendous support. A victory in the first-in-the-South primary state, Biden suggested, would elevate him before Super Tuesday.
The Delaware Democrat promised his donors victories in the South and in the Midwest.
“I will win Pennsylvania, I promise you. I will win Michigan, I promise you. I will win those Midwest states, as well as right now they have me winning in Georgia, Texas, Florida, North Carolina.”
“In terms of the nomination and even the general election only a point behind Trump in, in Texas,” Biden said, pointing to polls.
During the fundraisers, Biden also poked fun at some of his competitors in the Democratic primary race. The former vice president pointed out that billionaires Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on their candidacies, mocking Bloomberg for releasing an ad featuring former President Barack Obama.
“The advertising I’ve seen, you’d think that, that Mike was Barack’s vice president,” Biden joked.
As The Washington Examiner notes, Steyer failed to make an impact in Iowa and New Hampshire, and Bloomberg is not even on the ballot in the early states. The former New York City mayor is running an unconventional campaign, focusing on Super Tuesday and other contests.
Devastating losses in Iowa and New Hampshire have complicated the race for Biden, who not only lost the top spot in national polling, but also appears to be losing momentum in South Carolina, his stronghold.
According to latest polling, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont — who now leads in nationwide surveys — is surging in the southern state, as Biden continues to lose support.
The former vice president still enjoys support from the African-American community and from older South Carolinians, however. Sanders is more popular among voters under the age of 54-years-old and especially among voters under the age of 35-years-old.