It’s time to wrap up the primary fight, according to two prominent Democrats.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), who endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary, is calling for the Democratic National Committee to “shut this primary down” after Biden racked up a series of wins on Tuesday, including the key state of Michigan.
In an interview with NPR Tuesday, Clyburn said that at the end of the night, Biden will reach a point where he is “the prohibitive nominee of the party.”
Clyburn argued that “the DNC should then step in, make an assessment and determine whether or not they ought to have any more debates” following Biden’s wins, which came a week after his strong showing on Super Tuesday.
NEW: House Majority Whip James Clyburn tells NPR if Bernie Sanders doesn't win any states tonight, the Democratic National Committee should "shut this primary down" and "cancel the rest of these debates." https://t.co/qdk7LADWXk pic.twitter.com/ZxbEOb6hPl
— NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) March 11, 2020
And it’s not just Clyburn — political consultant James Carville took to MSNBC Tuesday night to argue that “very clearly” voters are saying they “want to shut this thing down.” Carville appeared on the network shortly after Biden clinched Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi.
“I mean, you can just look all across the spectrum of the Democratic Party and people are saying: we’ve made our decision, this is who we’re going with,” Carville said, before adding that Sanders may not break the delegate threshold in Mississippi.
Carville: "These voters want to shut this thing down." pic.twitter.com/qtphpsyg1h
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) March 11, 2020
Clyburn and Carville’s sentiments reflect a growing divide within the Democratic Party. While Biden has capitalized on his time as vice president during the Obama administration and has garnered a slew of endorsements, Sanders has marketed himself as the candidate leading a political revolution. But after Biden’s wins over the past two weeks, it may be nearly impossible for Sanders to overcome the delegate gap. Sanders has relied on the support of young people, who overwhelmingly support the Vermont senator. But in Michigan, voters under the age of 30 made up just 16% of the electorate. Among those voters, Sanders received 77% to Biden’s 19%.
TPM reached out to the Sanders campaign for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
