In an op-ed for The Daily Beast , prominent Never Trumper, Rick Wilson, expressed his belief that it’s time for Barack Obama to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden , who just secured a decisive win in the South Carolina primary.
“He [Obama] almost certainly will resist this idea, but Obama should play a leadership role in a party bereft of leaders by endorsing Joe Biden before Super Tuesday. Tomorrow would be good,” Wilson wrote.
According to Wilson, Obama’s speech should highlight the importance of the 2020 presidential race, the necessity of taking the White House from the grips of Donald Trump and Biden’s purported ability to be the one to lead the way.
“ Obama can transform this race in a hot second. The question is if he will put his mouth where his heart is, man up and say out loud what he’s been whispering for months about how nominating Sanders helps re-elect Trump. It’s now or never.”
Ahead of Super Tuesday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leads the Democratic primary with 58 delegates compared to Biden’s 50. But despite Wilson’s call, Biden appears to have a different perspective on the situation. As reported by The Week , he used his appearance on ABC’s This Week to tell host George Stephanopoulos that he doesn’t believe it’s time for an Obama endorsement.
“No, it isn’t hurting me and I don’t think it’s time. He and I talked about this from the very beginning,” he said, adding that he has to “earn” the nomination on his own.
Leon Panetta becomes the 9th Obama administration Cabinet member to endorse Biden. Statement praises “his principled leadership in action” Panetta witnessed since they first met in the 1970s. pic.twitter.com/DnO8KJCuav
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) February 28, 2020
Per The Guardian , Biden’s South Carolina victory paves the way for a showdown with Sanders on Super Tuesday, with each candidate representing one wing of the Democratic Party. With businessman Tom Steyer’s exit from the race after South Carolina and reports of former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg planning the same, the race appears to be down to frontrunner Sanders and Biden, who seems to be the only challenger to the democratic socialist.
Confirmed: Pete Buttigieg will drop out of the presidential race tonight, per aide. He is heading back to South Bend and will give a speech tonight.
— Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) March 1, 2020
Outside of Biden and Sanders, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren remain in the race, although both have single-digit delegates ahead of Super Tuesday. As The Inquisitr reported, Warren appears unphased by her poor early showings and vowed to remain in the race through March.
Despite his South Carolina success, The Guardian reports that Biden’s campaign has an uphill battle ahead. The publication noted that Sanders has raised a significant amount more money, rallied across the country, and funneled more money into television advertising.
