Bernie Sanders consolidates his position as favorite in the Democratic nomination contest for the November 2020 presidential election. On Saturday, February 22, he once again won over his competitors after the Nevada caucuses, the first elections held in a state with a high proportion of minorities. He had already led the Iowa caucuses on February 3, tied with the young Indiana centrist Pete Buttigieg, and the New Hampshire primaries on February 11 with 25.6% (against 24.3% to Mr. Buttigieg).
Five hours after the opening of the poll, the Associated Press agency declared him victorious, given the gap widened with his opponents.
Arriving in Texas, one of the most important states of Super Tuesday (super-Tuesday) of March 3 which will see fourteen states vote, the senator from Vermont welcomed the message sent to "Billionaire" from all sides. "Trump and his friends think they will win this election by dividing us, he launched. But we're going to win because we do the exact opposite. We bring people together. "
By late evening, the battle in Nevada remained tight for second place. Former Vice President Joe Biden, struggling since his bitter loss to Iowa and New Hampshire (fifth), seemed to be able to save his candidacy. "I am neither a socialist nor a plutocrat"he said to the winner of the day, Bernie Sanders, and absent from caucus, billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
Evolving American demographics
Judging from the very first results, his campaign director Greg Schultz had thought he could announce "The Biden comeback". But the former vice president was closely followed by Pete Buttigieg, the youngest in the race, who claimed second place, arguing that he had taken advantage in rural Nevada, whose results were slower count down. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, despite her pugnacity, did not seem to have achieved the breakthrough she hoped for.
Only thirty-six delegates were competing in this western American state (out of 1,991 to win the nomination), but the stake went far beyond: it was a question of which candidate was able to gather a a coalition large enough to be representative of an evolving American demography.
In 2016, Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist from a rural, one-color state, lost Nevada (by only 5 points) behind Hillary Clinton, who was much better established among the Latinos. Four years later, "Bernie" shows that he has succeeded in seducing minorities. According to the Edison Media Research survey, carried out at the entrance to the polling stations, it collected 51% of the Latin vote, clearly ahead of Joe Biden (13%).
