Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s poor performance in his first Democratic presidential debate could seal the nomination for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the candidate Bloomberg set out to stop, Axios reports.
"Look, the real winner in the debate last night was [President] Donald Trump,” Bloomberg said in Salt Lake City on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. “Because I worry that we “may very well be on the way to nominating somebody who cannot win in November. And if we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base like Sen. Sanders it will be a fatal error.”
Axios notes that Sanders’ polling numbers have risen in recent weeks, both against his fellow Democratic candidates and in head-to-head matchups with Trump. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s numbers have dropped since his poor showings in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, as has support for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who targeted Bloomberg during this week’s debate.
None of the current candidates have indicated that they intend to drop out of the race, and there is a possibility that no candidate will amass enough delegates to secure the nomination before the Democratic National Convention in July.
Bloomberg may be counting on a contested convention, but David Plouffe, who managed former President Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, told MSNBC after the debate that "the notion that the Democratic Party is going to have party insiders overturn the will of the voters — I just don’t think it's gonna happen. So the clock is ticking."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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