Biden Slump in Iowa May Signal Bigger Campaign Woes [View all]

[left-of-center2012]

Joe Biden has staked his campaign on the argument that he is best positioned to ride anti-Trump sentiment to a victory in the general election. But his poor showing in the Iowa caucus raises questions about that strategy and whether he has the campaign structure to drive momentum into later states.

With about two-thirds of the precincts reporting, Barack Obama’s vice president was sitting in fourth place, behind 38-year-old Pete Buttigieg, self-described democratic socialist Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, another progressive senator.

Moderate Democrats looking for someone to unseat President Donald Trump may be scared off by Biden’s inability to stop Sanders in early states and turn to the fresh-faced Buttigieg, who has painted himself as a centrist alternative from the heartland.

Another moderate Democrat may benefit from Biden’s apparent Iowa stumble. Michael Bloomberg’s campaign announced on Tuesday that it was doubling its advertising budget and increasing its national staff to more than 2,000 to capitalize on the chaos in Des Moines. Bloomberg has been working toward a decent showing in Super Tuesday states that vote on March 3, including California, Michigan and Texas.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-05/biden-slump-in-iowa-may-signal-bigger-campaign-woes?srnd=premium