Biden ally: Former vice president’s path to nomination is "the Clinton model"Joe Biden’s campaign co-chairman, Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, said the former vice president’s path to the Democratic nomination follows “the Clinton model” -- a reference to Bill Clinton’s primary win in 1992.
Of the first 11 primaries, the then-Arkansas governor had won just one -- Georgia. Then, on March 7, he won a dominating victory in South Carolina.
“He won one of the first 11 primaries. And then he won the twelfth one in South Carolina and that launched him to the presidency,” Richmond said.
Biden bailed on a planned New Hampshire primary-night party in Nashua, getting out of the state before suffering another embarrassing result. He hopped on a private flight to Columbia, South Carolina, for an event launching his campaign there.
Several of Biden’s leading African-American supporters complained Tuesday that the former vice president was being counted out of the Democratic presidential race before black voters had any real say.
“The base of the Democratic Party is not the left. The base of Democratic Party is black women, and they have not had their say in this race yet,” said Birmingham, Alabama, Mayor Randall Woodfin. “So I think it would be not only premature, but not very smart, for anyone to count him out.”
Knowing Biden was almost certainly facing defeat Tuesday, North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams said she is “not discouraged by it at all.”
“When I look at the makeup of those states, those communities, it’s really not reflective of what I know will be strong support for him,” Adams said.
