Panic has set in among some of Joe Biden’s largest donors, who fear the former Vice President may not be able to raise enough cash to continue on in the Democratic presidential primary race following dismal 4th and 5th place showings in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary – and failing to reach the 15% threshold to pick up any delegates in the latter.
According to CNBC, some Biden bundlers say that members in their donor networks are calling to express concerns that Biden’s flop in New Hampshire looks like an ‘insurmountable hurdle.’
Other Biden supporters have shrugged off his devastating losses in recent weeks – insisting that people should wait to see what happens during the Feb 22. Nevada caucus and the Feb. 29 South Carolina primary.
Biden has lost ground among donors and voters. Buttigieg’s surge in Iowa has led to a bunch of previously undecided business executives to head toward his camp. Since Iowa, Biden has seen a drop in polls nationally. Sanders has overtaken him in the Real Clear Politics polling average.
One of the disappointed Biden fundraisers, who has known the former vice president for over a decade, said that failure in New Hampshire could indicate that disaster awaits Biden on Super Tuesday, which takes place March 3. More than a dozen states, including big prizes like Texas and California, hold their primaries that day. –CNBC
“Even if we stay active for the next two races after another big loss, I suspect the remaining air will leak out of the balloon before Super Tuesday,” said the Biden fundraiser late Tuesday, after the full extent of the drum beating in New Hampshire began rolling in Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the former VP’s poll numbers are in free-fall, while Sanders, Bloomberg and Buttigieg have all staged respectable gains in recent weeks:
The Biden camp is holding out hope for South Carolina, which has a much larger black population than New Hampshire and Iowa – as the former VP has the most support among black voters of anyone running in 2020. According to CNBC, however, Bloomberg and Sanders are making gains among minorities.
New York Biden fundraiser Charles Myers, founder of Signum Global Advisers who is co-hosting an upcoming fundraising event, says he hasn’t seen any negative impact from the last two weeks.
“It hasn’t had any real effect on fundraising for the two events here in New York on Thursday. We’ve had a very strong response for both events,” said Myers, adding “As far as I can see in my network, there’s been no impact on fundraising.”
Another Biden donor, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject, said financiers didn’t expect Biden to win Iowa and New Hampshire – and that he’s in a strong position to pick up delegates in South Carolina.
“Biden is well positioned to move on to the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina, and have strong showings in both,” this person said. -CNBC
Perhaps they’re still reeling from the shock of the Democratic frontrunner’s precipitous swan dive into political oblivion.