Former Vice President Joe Biden entered the Democratic primary race as the undisputed frontrunner, managing to retain the status for nearly a year. That changed with his collapse in Iowa and New Hampshire, and after Sen. Bernie Sanders blew him — and the rest of the field — out of the water in Nevada.
For Biden, winning his longtime stronghold of South Carolina is key, according to Jim Messina, former President Barack Obama’s campaign manager. Per Mediaite , during a panel discussion on MSNBC broadcast on Wednesday, Messina explained why he believes Biden “absolutely” has to win the Palmetto State.
“Joe Biden absolutely simply has to win on Saturday to continue in this race,” he said, explaining to anchor Andrea Mitchell that one of Sanders’ greatest advantages is the amount of money his campaign has raised.
In addition, Messina speculated that only the Vermont senator and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg have a chance of winning a significant amount of delegates on Super Tuesday.
“You know, 40 percent of voters and delegates are going to be given here on Super Tuesday,” Messina said, noting that early voting has already started in some of these states, where voters are only seeing ads from Sanders and Bloomberg.
Messina predicted that weaker candidates will drop out on Super Tuesday because “money is the oxygen of American politics,” and a number of them will no longer be able to afford to stay in the race.
“It’s why Biden needs a victory this weekend to sustain it and raise the money, it’s why Bernie’s on TV right now because he has that oxygen, and it’s why Bloomberg is starting to move,” he said.
Obama’s former campaign manager also forecasted that Bloomberg will continue to play an important role in the primary contest — despite underwhelming debate performances — simply because he can afford to stay in the primaries and blanket the airwaves with advertisements.
Biden is still favored to win South Carolina, but cracks have emerged in his firewall, with Sanders and billionaire Tom Steyer catching up to him in most polls. Earlier this week, the former vice president secured the endorsement of Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the top-ranking African American in the House, which could help solidify his existing support.
According to an NBC News /Marist poll of South Carolina released on Monday, Biden is polling at 27 percent. Sanders is at 23 percent, and Steyer enjoys the support of 15 percent of likely voters in the Palmetto State.