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Thursday, 28 March 2024

Resurgent Biden challenges front-runner Sanders

Duration: 02:16s 0 shares 1 views

Resurgent Biden challenges front-runner Sanders
Resurgent Biden challenges front-runner Sanders

Bernie Sanders was looking to cement his lead in the Democratic U.S. presidential race as the biggest round of voting got underway on Tuesday, while his main rival Joe Biden aimed to muscle aside upstart Michael Bloomberg and consolidate support from the party’s moderate wing.

This report produced by Jonah Green.

UPSOUND: "We love you Bernie!!

Senator Bernie Sanders was in home state in Burlington, Vermont to cast a vote for himself on Super Tuesday, as he battles to maintain his lead in the democratic nomination.

Voters in 14 states from Maine to North Carolina to Colorado on Tuesday cast ballots for their preferred nominee, making up more than one-third of the delegates who will pick the eventual nominee in July.

Sanders made the case that he's the best candidate to take Trump on.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) SEN.

BERNIE SANDERS, SAYING: "And to beat Donald Trump we are going to need to have the largest voter turnout in the history of this country.

We need energy, we need excitement.

I think our campaign is that campaign." But Joe Biden's big win in South Carolina has upended the race and made the former vice president Sanders’ top threat.

Moderate democrats are now consolidating around Biden, whose win on Saturday generated a flood of endorsements, including from former rivals, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg.

Party officials are worried that Sanders’ democratic socialist proposals to restructure the economy would doom the party in November.

The rush of primary elections on Tuesday could provide some clarity at last for Democratic voters on who will, or should, face Trump.

Despite poor showings in the first four states, Senator Elizabeth Warren is still in it to win it, as is billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who will find out on Tuesday if his half a billion dollars in spending will translate into actual votes.

Bloomberg appears to be taking moderate voters from Biden in Texas, where both men are hoping to best Sanders.

The former mayor also sees a path to victory through a brokered convention.

(SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, SAYING: "You go to the convention and then we'll see what happens in the convention....well, I don't think I can win any other ways." Biden will look for wins in five states where African Americans make up at least one-quarter of the Democratic electorate: Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Sanders tops opinion polls in California, where he is hoping to capitalize on his early wins to build a large lead.

But with so many states voting, the full picture of Super Tuesday results could still take days to emerge.

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