Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in St. Louis, Mo., March 7, 2020. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

At this writing, Joe Biden leads by nearly 30 points in the early returns in the Illinois primary, nearly 40 in Florida. Exit polls show Biden sweeping all categories of voters. It’s over, Democratic primary voters know it’s over, and they want it over. Undoubtedly, these races would be more competitive if voters sincerely believed the nomination was still in doubt, but as we have seen in many prior primary contests in both parties, when the voters know who the nominee will be, they tend to act without mercy to unify the party in preparation for the fall campaign.


Biden may or may not be a stronger general-election candidate than Bernie Sanders; undoubtedly, he is a more conventional one. Republican hopes for a chaotic and divisive end to this process have been dashed. Democratic voters, despite their lack of enthusiasm for the former vice president, find him reassuringly familiar in an uncertain time. Sanders should take the hint and drop out.