March 3, 2020, is the day when 15 states- Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and the American Somoa territory- hold their primary elections for the 2020 presidential election. The voting results in each state can be an important indicator as to whom will be the final Democratic and Republican candidates for president. Even though Super Tuesday is crucial for the election, some people do not know what Super Tuesday is. One demographic who may not be aware of it are students, who may start voting in just a few years. When asked, sophomore Samantha Sy did not know about Super Tuesday.
“I’m not invested in politics yet, so I had no clue about Super Tuesday,” Sy said. “If it was mentioned in the news, then I guess I never paid any attention to it.”
While students may be unaware of Super Tuesday, voters across the nation are becoming more vocal and aware of each candidate that is running for President. Four states have already held their primary elections, with Donald Trump winning as the Republican candidate in every state. Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire and Nevada, but Joe Biden won in South Carolina and Pete Buttigieg won Iowa. After the results of those four states, several candidates have dropped out. In the past couple of days, Tom Steyer, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the presidential race, with Buttigieg and Klobuchar dropping in order to endorse Biden. Therefore, the only Democratic candidates left are Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders.
According to USA Today, California and Texas are arguably the most important states that have their primary elections on Super Tuesday since they have the largest amount of available delegates (California has 415 while Texas has 228). Depending on the state, the projected results are different. For example, a more left-leaning state such as California is showing signs of Sanders being the winner, as he is a more progressive candidate; on the contrary, Texas, a more Republican state, is showing signs that Biden will win, as he is more moderate.
According to CNN, the Democratic frontrunners are Sanders, Biden, and Warren; however, Warren has been slowly losing support as the race continues, and it seems as though Bloomberg will soon pass her in votes. This has prompted some to wonder why Warren is still in the race. Some believe that Warren should drop out and endorse Bernie Sanders as her presidential pick and on March 2, Twitter users shared their thoughts through the hashtag “#WarrenEndorseBernie”.
As Twitter users rallied for Warren to endorse Bernie, actual endorsements were happening for Biden. Shortly after he dropped out, Buttigieg endorsed Biden for the presidency. Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke, who both dropped out of the race, endorsed Biden as well.
“The only way we beat Trump is through a politics that reflects the decency of the American people. It’s what we sought to practice in my campaign—and it’s what Joe Biden has practiced his whole life,” Buttigieg tweeted. “I’m proud to stand with the VP and help make him our next Commander-in-Chief.”
The past candidates’ endorsements have the potential to grow Biden’s following and lessen the gap between him and Sanders. Overall, voters are making tough decisions about who they will support and vote for on Super Tuesday, and the results may help determine who will remain in the race and who will be weeded out.
