ELECTION USA: Super Tuesday: Virginia’s moderate Democrat voters overwhelmingly choose Joe Biden, but without much enthusiasm

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA – Spooked by the rise of progressive senator Bernie Sanders, centrist Democratic voters in Virginia rallied around former vice-president and moderate standard-bearer Joe Biden – but with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Their antipathy towards Mr Sanders propelled Mr Biden to victory in Virginia and elsewhere on Super Tuesday, when 14 states vote for the Democratic presidential nominee who will eventually run against incumbent President Donald Trump.

Several media outlets called the Virginia race for Mr Biden minutes after polls closed on at 7pm on Tuesday evening. CNN exit polls showed that 63 per cent of African-American voters went for Mr Biden, compared to the 18 per cent who backed Mr Sanders, while 58 per cent said Mr Biden could beat Mr Trump – far more than the 19 per cent who thought Mr Sanders could beat Mr Trump.

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But on the ground, voters’ ambivalence about Mr Biden may not bode well for the Democratic Party in the general election in November, as it raises questions about whether unenthused voters would turn out in sufficient force to vote blue.

“Joe Biden was all that was left,” said attorney Todd Tabor, 44, who voted bright and early at a polling place in Fairfax County, Virginia’s most populous.

“Bernie has some extremely progressive views. I have a tendency to be more central in my views. And so I just wasn’t comfortable with Bernie.”

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He told The Straits Times: “Biden’s definitely centrist, I’m just not confident in his capabilities. But I voted for him anyway – best of what’s left.”

Former attorney Kara McCabe, 50, said she voted for Mr Biden through a process of elimination, reckoning he had the best chance among the Democratic candidates of beating Mr Trump in November.

“I don’t like Bernie, and I liked (former New York City mayor) Bloomberg but then he did so horribly in the debates, so I went with Biden. He’s safe, and he’s not going to do too much crazy stuff,” said Ms McCabe.

She added: “I think Bernie has a lot of good ideas, I’ve just never seen a path to paying for them. I want whoever’s going to beat Trump.”

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Mr Sanders’ then-rival Hillary Clinton handily beat him 64 per cent to 35 per cent in 2016 in Virginia, which has been turning steadily Democratic but whose voters lean moderate overall.

The moderate unease over Mr Sanders, an independent senator who often votes with the Democratic Party, was reflected in four fresh polls over the weekend that showed Mr Biden surging in Virginia with a lead of at least 14 points over Mr Sanders.

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Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden meets with people at Buttercup dinner during the state’s Democratic presidential primary election in Oakland, California on March 3, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS

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Poll analysis site FiveThirtyEight named Mr Biden a “solid favourite” in Virginia, giving him a 98 per cent chance of winning the state’s Super Tuesday contest. Virginia has 99 delegates of the 1,357 available on Tuesday.

Retiree Cheryl West grimaced when Mr Sanders’ name was brought up.

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“I’ve worked too hard to have Bernie shake everything away, and I don’t think he’s realistic at all. He has a terrible reputation, he’s just a curmudgeon in the Senate. He doesn’t have any friends, he doesn’t cooperate, he’s in a different world,” said the 70-year-old, who voted for Mr Bloomberg.

Several voters said they had been torn by indecision up until the final days before Super Tuesday, but ultimately decided to vote strategically – which meant Mr Biden.

“An election is a pool game to figure out who the best poker player is,” said 55-year-old Kathy, who said had to consider not just who could beat the President, but who could be a good president. She runs a national non-profit group that works with the government and declined to give her last name as she did not want her organisation to be penalised for her anti-Trump comments.

“I voted for Biden because I think he has the best chance of both winning and governing. I think Bernie maybe has a better chance of winning. I think Bloomberg maybe has a better chance of governing well, but to do both, win and govern? Biden’s probably the best,” she said.

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Mr Sanders might also do a better job beating Mr Trump, but being associated with his left-leaning policies might jeopardise moderate Democrats running in the House and Senate, she added.

The voters’ sentiments mirrored the Democratic establishment’s coalescence around Mr Biden after his decisive South Carolina win on Saturday, in an effort to blunt Mr Sanders’ rise. Both former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar exited the race to endorse Mr Biden.

Said Ms Kathy: “It’s a very unenthusiastic coalescing. Will that really get us where we need to go?”