Homeward bound on Super Tuesday
These candidates’ states vote on Tuesday — will they help or hurt them?
As Super Tuesday inches closer, Democratic candidates have focused their respective campaigns’ time, energy and resources on achieving any viable victory in the 14 battleground states. However, voters from three states specifically — Vermont, Minnesota and Massachusetts — will see their own senators on the ballots.
Super Tuesday is considered the winning trophy for any candidate itching for their party’s presidential nomination in the general election. The states voting this coming Tuesday make up 40% of the United States’ population and span from coast to coast, essentially forcing candidates to touch base with a number of topics that appeal to very different communities.
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia will be casting their ballots and leave a promising delegate haul that could potentially signal who will be the party’s nominee. The 14 states send 1,357 delegates, a third of the 3,979 delegates needed for the nomination in total.
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are not only hoping for strong finishes across all Super Tuesday states next week, but are expecting constituents to reflect support through their respective states’ ballots. The question is: how and what are these senators doing to solidify their hopeful victories?
Bernie Sanders: Vermont
Sanders holds an overwhelming lead in his home state over the other Democratic candidates, according to a Vermont Public Radio poll. The Vermont senator currently leads with 38 points — 51% in support — with 16 total delegates that the state has to offer at stake.
Polling advantages throughout battleground states have allowed Sanders to jump from one state to another to garner as much support before ultimately spending Super Tuesday in Vermont. His campaign is planning a rally on Tuesday at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction where he held a similar Super Tuesday rally in 2016.
Although aiming high in polls, Sanders hasn’t had many public events in the Green Mountain State since the start of his campaign. He held a Memorial Day rally in Montpelier last May, the only other public campaign event he’s had in the northeastern state since joining the race.
Amy Klobuchar: Minnesota
Multiple polls conducted this February signal Klobuchar leading in her home state of Minnesota. Sanders steadily follows in second; the Minnesota Public Radio and Star Tribune polled Klobuchar at 29% and Sanders at 23%. Klobuchar has represented Minnesota since 2007 and although she continues to hold the frontrunner spot, primary results are up in the air with 21% of voters undecided.
Klobuchar will land in Minnesota for a rally on Sunday in St. Louis Park and on Election Day, with her campaign considering it a victory party. Her campaign has focused its attention on television ads on a national scale, however Klobuchar campaign manager Justin Buoen said the senator is “going to run an aggressive campaign everywhere in the country, including her home state.”
Minnesota’s 75 pledged delegates for the Democratic National Convention has led Klobuchar to invest more time and resources right before Super Tuesday in strong hope of victory.
Elizabeth Warren: Massachusetts
The two-term senator from Massachusetts is trailing behind the leading candidate at 17.4% , as Sanders has a tight hold at 24.2%, according to the latest FiveThirtyEight poll. They’ll vie for 91 pledged delegates from the Bay State.
Other polls showing similar Sanders leads are indicative of the fact that Warren’s campaign will continue to face challenges. A WBUR poll shows Warren doing well with women and highly-educated voters, but she continues to come second in surveys conducted among young voters. Her campaign is well aware that a loss in her home state can serve as a blow to her overall bid for president and have increased their fight for a strong primary finish.
Congressman and Warren-supporter Joe Kennedy III recently led a volunteer-launched canvassing event in Cambridge in an attempt to round up more support. Kennedy is one of the 147 state officials backing Warren’s campaign. Her campaign efforts have largely depicted a grassroots initiative, as more than 4,500 volunteers have continued their efforts in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
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