Home > Article
VOL. 44 | NO. 9 | Friday, February 28, 2020
Super Tuesday brings Dem hopefuls, surrogates to Tennessee
NASHVILLE (AP) — In a race reshaped by Joe Biden's blowout South Carolina win and exits by Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, Democratic presidential campaigns continue to make their Super Tuesday case in Tennessee through TV ads and appearances.
The former vice president deployed his wife, Jill Biden, to Tennessee on Sunday for a meet-and-greet in Memphis and a fundraiser in Nashville, then she toured a Nashville middle school Monday morning.
Sen. Bernie Sanders' wife, Jane Sanders, spent Wednesday making multiple stops in Nashville. Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent actress Ashley Judd to make stops for her in Nashville on Monday and Election Day.
And billionaire Mike Bloomberg made three stops Friday in Tennessee, speaking in Memphis, Clarksville and Johnson City. The former New York City mayor has made four trips to Tennessee as a candidate — more than any of his rivals — and has hired the most staffers throughout the state. His multimillion-dollar ad campaign in Tennessee has been the easiest to spot on local TV airwaves.
Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana mayor, held a rally Saturday in Nashville, only to see a dismal outcome in South Carolina and drop out of the presidential race Sunday. Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator, held a Nashville event Friday, then left the contest Monday.
Tennessee's 73 delegates also could prove vital for candidates needing to show momentum in the rapidly thinning race. Just seven other states will have more delegates than Tennessee on Super Tuesday.
In a state where a Republican holds every major elected office, including seven of the nine congressional seats, the Democratic primary voting base has a history of being more moderate than that of other states.
Even though Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Tom Steyer recently dropped out of contention, they'll still see their share of votes: More than 169,400 Democratic primary votes in Tennessee were already cast ahead of Tuesday through early and absentee ballots. Early voting began Feb. 12.