The Note: Democrats have two-man race, for all that means for diverse party
This week changed everything in politics. But for many, it also changed nothing.
The TAKE with Rick Klein
This week changed everything in politics. Somehow, for a great number of Americans, it also changed nothing.
Democrats have a clean ending in sight to a messy primary season, now that they've gotten a two-person race. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren dropping out and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's failure to gain more than two delegates so far means this is functionally a two-man race – two older white men who have spent decades serving in Congress.
"One of the hardest parts of this is all those pinky promises, and all those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years," Warren told reporters on Thursday, after ending her candidacy with a reminder that, in her view, women are held to a different standard than men when they run for office.
It stings for Warren and prominent women, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who bemoaned the fact that she will still be introduced as the "most powerful woman" in government for at least a while longer.
Either former Vice President Joe Biden or Sen. Bernie Sanders could still try to take that title away from Pelosi, with the choice of a running mate. It seems certain that neither will choose to run with another white male on the ticket.
But in a party that champions diversity -- and that celebrated the historic range of ages, races, ethnicities and gender balance in an original field of more than two dozen -- the only candidates set to barnstorm Michigan and appear at the next debate won't look much like the Democratic Party or the country.
Warren herself said she wants to "take a deep breath" before deciding whether to endorse. Democrats are indeed breathing again now that it seems certain there will not be a contested convention.
The concern now, though, is about the message it sends to the broader party and the country that either Biden or Sanders will be the Democratic nominee. When the whirlwind journey stops, realities like that one will sink in.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
Where will Warren's vote go? It probably depends on age.
Age continues to be one of the most dividing, defining and demonstrative lines in this Democratic primary.
Sanders won voters younger than 30 years old by a smashing 58-13% over Biden this week. And still those voters, aged 30 to 44 years old, by 44-20 percentage points, depending on the state.
Some of Warren's supporters came to her because of her progressive policy proposals, some because of her role in the Senate, some because she was a woman, some because of her background, some because of that X factor that makes every candidate unique.
The fact that she is waiting to endorse feels like a bigger blow to Sanders in the immediate future. He could use some backing and confidence from peers to counter the support Biden has received. But the fact that she waited to cash in means she can enjoy leverage too, in either direction.
The TIP with Beatrice Peterson
As the once crowded field of 2020 Democratic contenders dwindles down to three, Gabbard has the distinction of being the last person of color, woman, veteran and millennial in the race.
Gabbard -- who has not qualified for a debate this year -- secured her first two pledged delegates on Super Tuesday from American Samoa, ensuring that she would be heading to the Democratic National Committee in Milwaukee. She also reached a $1 million fundraising goal that she set for Super Tuesday.
After wrapping her town hall in Detroit on Tuesday, the Hawaiian congresswoman traveled back to Washington to vote on key coronavirus legislation. In an email to supporters, Gabbard's campaign signaled on Wednesday that the campaign would continue even after the field narrowed.
Look for Gabbard's campaign to head west this weekend, where she participates in a town hall moderated by the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, in Las Vegas. Gabbard plans on discussing two key pillars of her campaign: criminal justice reform and withdrawing U.S. troops from regime-change wars.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Friday morning's episode features ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett, who examines what Sen. Elizabeth Warren suspending her campaign means for the 2020 race and the larger Democratic Party. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
The FiveThirtyEight Podcast. In an emergency installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew reacts to the news that Sen. Elizabeth Warren is suspending her campaign for president. They discuss why she wasn't able to form a winning coalition and how her exit affects the rest of the race. https://53eig.ht/2VOOOuQ
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