Covid Infects the Campaign

This chapter discusses how the emergence of Covid-19 upended the remaining Democratic nomination contests, facilitating a quick coalescence of votes nationwide around Joe Biden. We lay out how state party leaders postponed numerous contests, depriving the Sanders campaign of any momentum that may have remained from his early victories. We show how voters had little stomach for extending the race when they resumed, rallying around Biden, despite differences on key issues. We conclude by showing how Biden unified the Democrats after Sanders withdrew from the race, inviting his rival’s supporters to participate in drafting the platform and selecting a vice president more predisposed toward their positions.