By Maryam Javed ’21
Opinions Editor
Photo Credit: The Week
The 2020 presidential race continues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race before Super Tuesday. The results after Super Tuesday show former Vice President Joe Biden leading in the polls over Bernie Sanders. Biden and Sanders remain the two potential Democratic candidates for president. Mike Bloomberg and Elizabeth Warren also dropped out of the race following their poor performances on Super Tuesday.
A lot of people, especially younger voters, expected Sanders to do a lot better on Super Tuesday. However, Biden was the clear victor. Even after Super Tuesday, many individuals are still hopeful that Sanders has a chance to be the nominee. But many are not, as Biden has secured more delegates than Sanders and is currently leading as being the prospective Democratic nominee.
It is surprising for a lot of people that Biden is leading in the race because of how poorly he performed in Iowa. But now his campaign is thriving. He has support from several former candidates, including Buttigieg, Bloomberg, Klobuchar, and Tulsi Gabbard. Despite these endorsements, the Sanders campaign still remains hopeful. I think that even though the Biden campaign is leading with more delegates than Sanders, it is possible that Sanders might still have a chance in securing the nomination.
Personally, as a Sanders supporter, I think that many Americans should be willing to think about Sanders’ ideas about economic and healthcare inequality and proposed reforms. Due to the pandemic, 3.3 million people have filed for unemployment. Hospitals are experiencing a shortage of necessary materials like masks. These unprecedented events show how unprepared this country is economically, politically, and socially for major crises. I believe that Sanders’ ideas can help direct the country during crises, now and in the future.
Regardless of the outcome of this pandemic, I believe our president and government were and continue to be unprepared, have not handled this pandemic accordingly, and reacted too late to the crisis. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the pandemic, but one thing for sure is that we need change, effective immediately.
