Weekend Election Update (3/27)

Courtesy of The New York Post

By Jeremy Perillo

As the United States, and the world, continues to battle COVID-19, the 2020 election campaign has been shuttered by constant news coverage of the deadly pandemic. Fortunately, for President Trump, that means more media/news exposure for himself, and less exposure to Democratic candidates, former vice president Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders.

There is no doubt that the rest of this primary season will be different than any other in American history. Campaign rallies have been moved online, several state primaries have been pushed back to June 22nd, and the Democratic candidates have struggled to maintain strong media coverage. Trump has the advantage of being the incumbent President, giving him the necessary platform to call attention from the media whenever he wishes.

As the Democrats continue to campaign, Americans have seen a switch in rhetoric and campaign focus as they practice social distancing. Instead of healthcare reform or Senate voting records, the focus of the Democratic candidates is now on the Trump administration’s battle with the coronavirus, and the economic uncertainty associated with the pandemic.

As of the writing of this article, Biden has a nearly insurmountable lead over Sanders in the Democratic primary, with 1,215 delegates to Sanders 910 delegates. 1,991 delegates are necessary for a candidate to obtain the nomination. 

Despite the distance between the two candidates, Sanders recently signaled he will remain in the race for the Democratic Presidential nominee. Setting his sights on the New York state primary on April 28, Sanders made it clear that campaigning efforts are planned/will continue in New York in anticipation of the primary. New York has 274 eligible delegates.

The 2020 presidential campaign has undoubtedly shifted completely from where it was several months ago. Campaign priorities are different, the candidate’s strategies have shifted, and the playing field has completely changed. One thing is for certain, the coronavirus will have a large role in determining the next U.S. president in the general election.