Breitbart In the time of span of 72 hours, between the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday, establishment Democrats rushed to consolidate behind former Vice President Joe Biden in a transparent effort to thwart the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
The machinations started on Saturday, only minutes after polls closed in the Palmetto State. Biden, who had flopped in the first three nominating contests, was declared the instantaneous winner after exit polls showed a rout, thanks to strong support from black voters.
Even though the margin of victory remained unknown for hours, many in the media and pundit class jumped to claim South Carolina had resuscitated the former vice presidentâs hopes for the nomination. None espoused that argument more so than Terry McAullife, a former governor of Virginia and one time chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Shortly after South Carolina was called, McAullife appeared on CNN, where he serves as a political commentator, to discuss the results. Instead of offering insight, however, the former governor took the opportunity to endorse Biden live on the air.
âIâve thought long and hard about this,â McAullife told CNNâs Anderson Cooper. âFor me itâs an electability issue ⊠Iâm going all in on Joe Biden, I think he has the best shot of beating [President] Donald Trump.â
The endorsement was not totally unexpected, as McAullifeâs wife was already a well known bundler for the former vice president. It did, however, strike many as overly partisan, especially given that McAullife also used the live-TV endorsement to urge Democrats to consolidate behind Biden.
âIâm hoping, tomorrow actually, some of the candidates decide to get out,â McAullife said, right after having suggested Sanders would cripple down ballot Democrats. âIf you do not have a pathway, let[âs] not wait until Super Tuesday.â
When pressed as to whom he meant, the former governor specifically confessed he was talking about Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
âI donât want to tell people they should get out, because theyâve worked for a year,â McAullife said. Theyâve gotten a lot of support, but I think Pete [Buttigieg] and Amy [Klobuchar] and Tom Steyer need to make that decision for themselves.â
Even as the former governor spoke, the Democtat field was already shrinking. Steyer, who had poured more than $252 million into his underdog campaign, was informing staffers of his decision to exit the race after placing third in South Carolina.
Neither Steyerâs exit nor McAullifeâs endorsement surprised many, but it did signal what lay ahead.
First, Bidenâs looming cash crunch was likely to disappear thanks to McAullifeâs fundraising prowess, honed during his tenure at the helm of the DNC. Second, and more importantly, McAullifeâs backing ensured that Biden no longer had to fear losing Virginia, a state both Sanders and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg had high hopes for on Super Tuesday. The latter seemed to be proven when several high-ranking Virginia officials announced their backing of Biden on Saturday night, including Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), a power broker within the commonwealthâs black community.
With Virginia appearing to be a lock and money no longer a problem, other establishment Democrats began to fall in line behind Biden. Most notably, Sunday saw former DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz announce her endorsement. Wasserman Schultz, apart from being a Florida congresswoman, had infamously been forced to resign her DNC post after it was revealed she worked to the benefit of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2016 primaries.
The list of endorsements grew larger on Monday with the addition of former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Reidâs endorsement was perplexing, since he had pointedly refused to support Biden during his own stateâs presidential caucuses two weeks earlier.
All told, prior to South Carolina, Biden only had the backing of one high-profile member of the establishment, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC). After winning the Palmetto Stateâs primary, the former vice president found himself as the clear favorite among establishment Democrats.