Bernie Sanders, his momentum slowed by a loss to Hillary Clinton in Nevada, faces two tests in the weeks ahead: parceling out his formidable resources to the states that offer his best targets, and boosting turnout in what thus far has been a mediocre year for it.
His path to the Democratic nomination, already steep, has narrowed considerably now that Clinton has re-established herself as the all-but-prohibitive frontrunner. To actually win the nomination, Sanders acknowledged Sunday that he will have to begin winning again, as he did when he trounced Clinton in New Hampshire.
“We’re studying that issue very closely, obviously, as to where we allocate our resources and allocate my time,” Sanders said.
Although Sanders campaigned in South Carolina on Sunday, his prospects there are dim — as evidenced by the fact that he neglected to mention the Palmetto State’s upcoming contest as he ticked off a handful of upcoming states where he can win.
Nonetheless, the race is likely to continue for a long time, as it did in 2008 — with one factor reversed. This time, the African-American vote is expected to be a big advantage for Clinton.
Clinton is a heavy favorite in South Carolina, the state where her defeat by Barack Obama marked a turning point in the Democratic primary eight years ago. Her support among blacks, who make up more than half of the Democratic electorate there, give her what appears in polls to be an insurmountable advantage.
Sanders has the ability to remain in the race for the distance, thanks to his fundraising abilities — and to the Democrats’ system of allocating delegates proportionally rather than in a winner-take-all fashion.
“We are in this race to the convention,” Sanders said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think we’ve got some states coming down the pike that we’re going to do very, very well in. I think, you know, if you look at national polling, our support is growing.”
He ticked off five “Super Tuesday” states in which he said he has “a good shot” on March 1: Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont.
