Amy Klobuchar exits presidential race, Joe Biden back in contention ahead of Super Tuesday

A day after Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay US presidential candidate from a major party, ended his campaign, Amy Klobuchar has dropped out of contention. The New York Times and US networks including NBC said the centrist senator would bow out of the race and head to Dallas, Texas, to appear alongside Mr Biden, the former vice president, at a rally on Monday night (local time). After a blowout victory in the last primary, Saturday in South Carolina, Mr Biden heads into “Super Tuesday” with a head of steam as he challenges leftist firebrand Bernie Sanders for top spot in the race to see who faces Donald Trump in November’s election. BUTTIGIEG DROPS OUT Ms Klobuchar’s reported exit comes a day after Pete Buttigieg, who entered the Democratic presidential race as a relative unknown and positioned himself as the future of the party during an improbable rise to the top tier of a crowded 2020 field, ended his White House bid. Mr Buttigieg, 38, a former two-term mayor from South Bend, Indiana, the first openly gay US presidential candidate from a major party and an Afghanistan war veteran, narrowly won the Iowa caucuses that kicked off the nominating race in February and finished a close second in New Hampshire. But his early momentum from those rural, mostly white states did not translate into electoral success in the more diverse states of Nevada and South Carolina. After finishing a distant third in the Nevada caucuses, Buttigieg came in fourth on Saturday in South Carolina, where he won support from just three per cent of African-American voters. The centrist Democrat’s withdrawal from the race could help former Vice President Joe Biden, a fellow moderate who got a much-needed victory on Saturday and now is looking to wrest momentum from liberal frontrunner Bernie Sanders in this week’s 14-state Super Tuesday nominating contests. Buttigieg planned to announce his decision in South Bend later on Sunday local time, according to his campaign. BIDEN GETS ‘BIG BOOST’ FROM PRIMARY WIN Joe Biden called his victory during South Carolina Democratic primary “a real comeback”, and is looking to carry the momentum forward into this week’s Super Tuesday primaries. Mr Biden appeared on Fox News Sunday and spoke confidently about the win, saying that it put him in position to challenge his Democratic presidential primary rival Bernie Sanders and reclaim his status as the Democratic party’s frontrunner in the race to unseat US President Donald Trump in November’s federal election. “It’s a big boost,” Mr Biden said in the interview. “I think it starts the real comeback and we picked up a lot of delegates.” In front of an adoring crowd in the Carolina Volleyball Centre at the University of South Carolina in the historic river city of Columbia, Mr Biden said his victory here had “launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump”. “We are very much alive,” Mr Biden said at his victory party. “For all of you who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind — this is your campaign.” Mr Biden in early counts appeared to have secured well over 50 per cent of the vote, with Mr Sanders well back in second with about 15 per cent. The former Vice President to Barack Obama now takes vital momentum into Super Tuesday following poor performances in the opening contests. But Mr Biden was also cautious about his victory. “We have a long, long way to go. This is a marathon,” he said. US media described the victory as a “blow out win” for Mr Biden which also saw the long expected exit from the race of hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer, who failed to gain traction despite spending $A300 million on ads. “There’s no question today that this campaign, we were disappointed with where we came out,” Mr Steyer said. “But I said if I didn’t see a path to winning, that I’d suspend my campaign. And, honestly, I can’t see a path.” Mr Biden took swipes at Independent Mr Sanders’ talk of “political revolution” and the party-hopping history of cashed-up rival one-time Republican Mike Bloomberg in his victory speech, saying only he was the “lifelong Democrat” who could beat Mr Trump. “This campaign has taken off, so join us! This is the moment to choose the path forward for our party,” he said. “The decisions Democrat make all across America in the next few days will determine what this party stands for, what we believe and what we’ll get done. “If the Democrats nominate me, I believe we can beat Donald Trump. If the Democrats want to nominate a Democrat, a lifelong Democrat, a proud Democrat, an Obama-Biden Democrat, join us. “We have the option of winning big or losing big. That’s the choice. Most Americans don’t want the promise of revolution, they want more than promises, they want results. “We need real changes right now. It’s time for America to get back up. The country is so ready. We can build a more perfect union.” Mr Biden was propelled by an outpouring of support from South Carolina’s African-American voters, who make up at least 60 per cent of the Democratic base in this state which Mr Biden had long called his “firewall” in the race for the candidacy. US political observers turned their attention after the outcome to whether Barack Obama would now finally give Mr Biden the endorsement he craves, especially after nearly a quarter of South Carolina primary voters said they were influenced in Mr Biden’s direction by the endorsement this week of Jim Clyburn, the state’s most senior Democrat. The race to be Democratic candidate is expected to be further narrowed after Super Tuesday, with Mr Biden, Mr Sanders and Mr Bloomberg expected to be the most likely survivors. Hundreds of excited supporters cheered “Let’s go, Joe!” as he walked to the stage to deliver his victory speech. The results appeared to deal nearly fatal blows to two moderate candidates, Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar, who had both been dreaming of overtaking Mr Biden as the party’s centrist candidate but again were unable to win non-white voters. Mr Buttigieg received only 2 per cent of support from black voters, according to early exit polls. JOE BIDEN SECURES VITAL CAMPAIGN BOOST In a must-win for the former vice-president to Barack Obama, NBC, CNN and AP said just after polls closed at 11am (AED) on Saturday, based on exit polling, Joe Biden secured the vital campaign boost in the southern state. This gave his campaign a breath of life ahead of Super Tuesday when 14 states cast their vote for their preferred Democratic candidate. Mr Biden had performed poorly in the opening contests, leaving many to wonder whether he would be able to keep his dream alive to battle Donald Trump in November. But the win gave him much needed momentum leading into Super Tuesday when a third of delegate votes will be up for grabs. Hundreds of excited supporters waited to hear from the winner in the Carolina Volleyball Centre at the University of South Carolina in the historic river city of Columbia as reports flashed up on giant screens Mr Biden had won the contest in what is known as the Palmetto State for its state tree. Earlier, Mr Biden received a strong last-minute endorsement from Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg: “I want to urge my fellow Charlestonians and South Carolinians to join me in voting for Joe Biden. He’s the kind of leader who can bring our country together — and the kind of man we can all be proud to call our president.” Mr Trump, meanwhile, who is grappling with a plummeting stock market amid coronavirus concerns, has continued his tactic of holding boisterous rallies in states which are about to hold Democratic primaries. “It seems to be pretty effective,” he said. “I went just the day before in both cases Iowa, New Hampshire and so it seems to be effective.” Hedgefund billionaire Tom Steyer from California has spent $US20 million in South Carolina and has surprised everyone by running third in the polls here behind Biden and Sanders. No one expects Steyer, who has looked out of his depth on the debate stage, to flourish beyond here. His standing is very poor in his home state. Many Democratic strategists see him as being little more than nuisance value in the search to find a moderate candidate to take on Donald Trump, rather than the left-leaning Sanders who they think will scare many middle of the road Americans. But South Carolina is all about momentum for Biden and Sanders. If Biden can somehow pull off a convincing win, it may well set him up for a strong performance on Super Tuesday when 14 states turn out to vote, with a third of delegates up for grabs. Frontrunner Sanders urged a record voter turnout ahead of the vital South Carolina primary, which could consolidate his candidacy — and kill off Biden’s once and for all. Sanders addressed 2000 frantically adoring supporters at a college in the town of Spartan, S.C., refusing to walk away from his democratic socialist reputation by telling them: “This is a campaign of the working class, by the working class, for the working class.” In a comical aside, conservative activists are reportedly urging Republicans to vote for Sanders in the primary in South Carolina, which is open to both sides to have their say on who should be Democratic candidate. “I have no idea what they are talking about,” Mr Sanders said when asked about possible Republican support for his candidacy. “I’ve got no idea who’s going to be voting in the primary. “We are asking working people, we are asking young people to participate, we are hoping to have the largest voter turnout in the history of the South Carolina primary and if that happens, I think we’re gonna do just fine.” His incredible appeal among young voters was clearly on display. “Bernie really highlights everything I want to see done,” young supporter Cynthia Trujillo said. Another young voter at the rally said: “Bernie doesn’t want to go to war. And no-one else has actually signed on and said they don’t want to fight wars.” Mr Biden had yet another hiccup when he finally had to admit he had never actually been arrested in South Africa while trying to visit anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, despite his repeated claims to the contrary. “I guess I wasn’t arrested,” Mr Biden said. “I was stopped. I was not able to move where I wanted to go.” Unfortunately for him, the confession reinforced perceptions his mental acuity is somewhat fragile. “What happens in South Carolina does matter, mostly because of what the coverage is going to be over the three days leading up to Super Tuesday,” Democratic strategist Achim Bergmann said. “If someone seems out of the running, they’re going to lose value.” This has been a consistent theme of the 2020 race — no-one voting later in the race wants to vote for a loser. Win in South Carolina, and you go into Super Tuesday smelling like roses. This campaign is gruelling and the strain is starting to tell on some candidates. While Sanders had a heart scare some thought would end his race, he is finishing with a full head of steam. New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg continues to cast a shadow over the field. He will formally enter the race on Super Tuesday. His endless amount of cash to spend on advertising means he will not be easily discounted, despite some charmless debate performances. Of the rest of the field, the impressive and feisty Elizabeth Warren seems to be on the decline, while the mid-west’s Amy Klobuchar also appears to be making up the numbers at this stage. – with AP