Biden's defeat in Iowa is rereading the cards in the Democratic race

The former vice president has introduced himself as the top candidate who can defeat Trump, but he finished the primaries in Iowa as he shuffles from behind. With financial difficulties and distance from the field, Biden's attempt to be the "comeback boy" of the White House race may end in failure - in favor of the other moderate candidates

Biden's defeat in Iowa is rereading the cards in the Democratic race

Joe Biden's third attempt at running for the U.S. presidency has entered a critical phase, following a disappointing finish in Iowa, only fourth. The former vice president will come to New Hampshire with a limited donation base, little cash and a threat from his billionaire rival Michael Bloomberg and his inexhaustible personal fortune.

Biden graduated after former New South Bend Mayor Pete Buttidge, who won first place in a tiny gap on Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, and after Progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The former vice president was not far from Sen. Amy Clocher, who finished fifth and only a few days ago had a few percentages of support according to the polls.

Those results bring many Democrats, including some of Biden's supporters, into doubt that he is the top candidate who could defeat Republican President Donald Trump in November. Once the main fight moves from white Iowa and New Hampshire to more ethnically diverse places, Biden should gain an edge, but even in Biden's previous campaigns, he never made it across Iowa.

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Began aggressively attacking his rivals. Biden during meeting with supporters in New Hampshire (Photo: AP)

Former Vice President and Presidential candidate in Democratic primaries Joe Biden, February 5, 2020 (Photo: AP)

Biden is trying to be the second "comeback boy", as Bill Clinton called himself in 1992, when he finished second after Sen. Paul Tsongs. In the end, he won the primaries and US presidential election. However, New Hampshire is known for dropping top candidates, such as Gary Hart in 1984 and John McCain in 2000, rather than stabilizing the fate of shuffling candidates. Hillary Clinton was exceptional in 2008, but she finally lost the nomination for Barack Obama.

His former deputy said he would not try to reduce the impact of the loss in Iowa on the campaign, and instead began to aggressively attack his rivals. At an event in the town of Somersworth, New Hampshire, Biden admitted he had "punched in the stomach," but stressed it was too soon to be eulogized. "I'm not going anywhere," Biden said. "I trust New Hampshire. We're going to make a comeback."

The leading candidate finished not far from Clobcher in fifth place. Biden supporters in Iowa, this week (Photo: AP)

Supporters of Joe Biden in Democratic Primaries in Iowa, February 3, 2020 (Photo: AP)

Ned Helms, the former Democratic Party chairman in New Hampshire who supported Biden, tried to make a move similar to Clinton's in his last appeal to voters, so he said: "Come on, New Hampshire. Fulfill your role, and I will be very glad to help you. "

Biden's election rally Wednesday was only the fifth in the country since the start of the year. Last month, Biden had the fewest events in New Hampshire compared to all the top candidates in the race, even when Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders had to juggle election campaigns and the Senate impeachment trial, taking up some of their time.

77-year-old Biden has not cleared time in recent weeks for one of New Hampshire's most popular voters' traditions: answering audience questions at municipal meetings. At each of his state campaign events since the beginning of the year, Biden instead kept the crowd separate and spoke to some of the voters after the events.

A tough battle for sale

The most dangerous thing for Biden is that some of the donors could have supported it if the result had been better, Bloomberg, the former New York mayor, presents in a new light. Bloomberg's whole strategy is based on giving up the elections in the four states to see Biden falter. Bloomberg, one of the world's richest men with an estimated $ 60 billion, doesn't need money. He is seeking support that may end Biden's campaign financially.

"If he finishes in fourth place, yes it can hurt," said Bill Freeman, a Biden supporter from Nashville, Tennessee, who said he had not imagined such a possibility before the election. "It was a bad night, no matter how you turn it around."

Biden's donors need to stay competitive with Bottige, Warren and Sanders, who have raised huge sums from private donors who have donated far less generously to Biden. Alex Sink, a Democratic activist who contributed to the Hillary Clinton campaign in the 2016 election, said many donors are holding back in the meantime, waiting to see how Biden progresses. He said they are also keeping an open mind about Bloomberg, whose campaign asked Cinque last week to attend their event in Tampa.

"I was afraid to do so because, like so many others, I'm curious and interested and concerned about who our candidate will be, and how we're going to beat Trump," he said. "Most of my friends still don't know who they will vote for."

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A personal meeting with voters instead of direct questions from the audience. Biden in New Hampshire, this week (Photo: Reuters)

Former Vice President and Presidential candidate for Democratic primaries Joe Biden, Feb. 3, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

Biden's advisers have said for months that he must not win Iowa or New Hampshire, because he is better prepared for the Feb. 22 election in Nevada, Feb. 29 in South Carolina and the March 3 primaries, "Super Tuesday," in which more than a third of National's delegates Democrats will vote one day. However, they never said Biden would succeed if he got poor results in both Iowa and New Hampshire. This is a more expensive approach that requires financial investment in Nevada, South Carolina, and rich countries such as California and Texas.

Biden already has a foothold throughout the counties of Super Tuesday, with paid or volunteer teams deployed in 13 states. However, it is unclear how much his cash flow could bolster his current campaign. "Will he have a lot of money like Bernie Sanders? Probably not. But it doesn't matter - all you need is enough gas to finish the race," said John Morgan, a Florida lawyer and one of Biden's top contributors.

Freeman and Morgan agreed that Biden should finish in one of the top three places in New Hampshire, and preferably in first place among the moderates. This reflects the quiet hope that Biden's team had towards Monday. They did not necessarily expect to win, but they hoped they could leave Iowa as the clear alternative to Sanders, the Socialist senator who is leading the Democratic Party's leftist and progressive faction.

Partial results from Iowa: Leading Pete Bottage, Sanders Second - Biden just Wednesday

Biden supporter in Iowa, this week (Photo: AP)

Supporters of Joe Biden in Democratic Primaries in Iowa, February 3, 2020 (Photo: AP)

Biden associates believed that a race that was actually held between two people, between Sanders and the former vice president, would help them make donations, consolidate their benefits among non-white voters, and pass even moderate white supporters who now support Boutidge or Clobcher. "That's what people say: If Bernie Sanders is the candidate, would you vote for him?" Morgan said. "If not, then vote for Joe."

The problem, according to Freeman, is that an incomplete start in Iowa makes the essence of the Biden-Sanders battle much harder to sell. "I don't think any of these conversations happen to potential new donors today," he said. However, Boutidge and Clover have their own challenges if they plan to overtake Biden as an establishment favorite. Both have negligible support from non-whites, and Clobcher in particular has more financial difficulties than Biden's.

Biden took the same approach during the campaign, directly attacking Sanders for weeks. "It's time to get serious about healthcare," Biden said, comparing his proposal to expand the existing insurance markets in "Public Option" to Sanders Health for All program. Sanders has been promoting single payer insurance for "30 years." He said, "He didn't even move it an inch."

The campaign tried to put Biden head in front of Sanders. Biden and Sanders in Democratic Conflict (Photo: Reuters)

Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Conflict, January 14, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

A possible comeback in New Hampshire may be seen as a victory among those voters who admit they like Biden, but disapprove of it following the 2020 campaign. , Which Trump caught up with, fits him. "I don't think he has the energy," Dion said. "I think he lost it."