Wisconsin's primary is a month away: How Super Tuesday results could affect the race

By: Rose Schmidt

Posted: Mar 4, 2020 4:25 PM CDT

NOW: Wisconsin’s primary is a month away: How Super Tuesday results could affect the race

With Wisconsin's presidential primary just over a month away, there are questions about whether former Vice President Joe Biden will be able to keep his new momentum going or whether U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will prevail.

Mike Bloomberg dropped out of the presidential race Wednesday and became the latest candidate to endorse Biden. Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O'Rourke all endorsed Biden within the past week.

"I've always believed that defeating Donald Trump starts with uniting behind the candidate with the best shot to do it. And after yesterday's vote, it's clear that candidate is my friend and a great American, Joe Biden," Bloomberg said Wednesday.

Biden had what Mike Gousha, distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School, is calling a "stunning" Super Tuesday performance. Some of the most notable surprises were Biden's wins in Massachusetts -- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's home state -- and Minnesota.

"I think most observers were surprised at Biden's showing last night. I think maybe even Joe Biden was surprised by how well he did," Gousha said.

Gousha said the new momentum for the Biden campaign is a "temporary setback" for Sanders.

Wisconsin voters will head to the polls on April 7 in a state where Sanders has performed well in the past. He won the primary in 2016, defeating former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"(Sanders) has some support here. The question is will he be able to maintain it given this new energy behind the Biden campaign?" Gousha said.

Bloomberg, Buttigieg and Klobuchar all have polled well in Marquette Law School's post recent poll. But with them all gone from the race and throwing their support to Biden, their supporters now have a choice to make.

"That's the big question: Will those three other candidates who performed pretty well in Wisconsin in our latest polling -- will that make a big difference for Joe Biden? Will he go back to the head of the pack again?" Gousha said.