Former Vice President Joe Biden has a near-insurmountable lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders after sweeping Tuesday’s primaries in Arizona, Florida, and Illinois.

Now, the question is whether the Democratic primary arrives at a swift end in the coming days or continue on longer, as states that haven’t yet voted shift their primaries into early June amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a live-streamed video from his home in Delaware, Biden sounded like he believed what the delegate math makes clear: He had sewn up the Democratic nomination. He said he and Sanders share a “common vision” and told the Vermont senator’s young supporters: “I hear you.”

At home in Vermont, Sanders spoke early in the night — before results were out — and didn’t address Tuesday’s elections at all. He was said to be weighing what would become of his movement if he exited the race: Would a new leader step in? Did he need to remain in the race to stay relevant and keep his leverage over the party’s platform?

The coronavirus pandemic meant Biden couldn’t stage a large rally or deliver a raucous victory speech Tuesday night. Instead, in a live-stream from his home, he offered a message designed to bring the Democratic primary to its end and turn the party’s focus to taking on President Donald Trump.

Biden said he and Sanders “may disagree on tactics, but we share a common mission” on issues like health care, income inequality, and climate change.

“Sen. Sanders and his supporters have brought a remarkable passion and tenacity to all of these issues, and together they have shifted the fundamental conversation in this country,” Biden said.

“So let me say especially to the young voters who have been inspired by Sen. Sanders: I hear you. I know what’s at stake. I know what we have to do. Our goal as a campaign and my goal as a candidate for president are to unify this party, and then to unify the nation.”

The speech was Biden’s most significant olive branch to Sanders and his supporters yet. It was both magnanimous and a message that reflected the former vice president’s current political reality: His lack of support from young voters is worrying for Democrats. Changing that reality would be easier with Sanders’ help.

Sanders ignores his dwindling chances

Sanders treated Tuesday night just like any other in this new environment brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

The political reality for the Vermont senator was grim. But you wouldn’t have known it watching his live stream as election results ticked in: He entirely ignored Tuesday’s elections and instead focused on the need to support working families struggling to deal with the coronavirus.

“In this moment of crisis, it is imperative that we stand together,” Sanders said, adding that the nation needs to brace for “an economic meltdown that will impact tens of millions of workers in this country.”

And with that, Sanders was done for the night.

Pressure mounts on Sanders to exit the race

The spread of the coronavirus has largely pushed pause on the presidential primary. And though voting continued Tuesday, Sanders appeared eager to push pause, too, disregarding the reality that his chances of winning the Democratic nomination are dwindling rapidly.

Sanders backers argue that a key reason the senator needs to stay in the race is to push Biden to the left. But many Democrats, fearing a repeat of 2016’s lengthy primary, are itching for Sanders to bow out soon.

Sanders “needs to take a long, hard look at how and why he would stay in the race,” said Chris Meagher, a former top adviser to Pete Buttigieg, who backed Biden earlier this month. “And given how long he waited to drop out of the race in 2016, that pressure to drop out of the race when the writing is clearly on the wall is even greater.”

David Axelrod, a former top adviser to President Barack Obama, put a finer point on it on CNN: “This is over. It’s over. The election is over tonight.” read more

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