The Establishment Strikes Back

This chapter explores how a second push by party elites empowered Biden to turn the tide of the nomination race and grab the delegate lead from his far better financed opponents. We detail how prominent South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn’s endorsement of Biden rallied African Americans behind his campaign, despite substantial efforts by his opponents to corral their support. We describe how support from three former candidates—Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke, and Amy Klobuchar—stymied self-financed billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s late entry into the race and led to a dominant performance by Biden on Super Tuesday, chasing all the major contenders but Sanders from the race.