A Crucial Week for the United States

Published in 24 Heures
(Switzerland) on 1 March 2020
by Andrés Allemand (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Haley Frevert. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
Who will face Donald Trump in the November presidential election? Which of the Democratic candidates will the party choose during the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee in July? One thing is certain: this week will be decisive. Tomorrow, during Super Tuesday, there will be primary elections in 14 of the 50 states. And depending on the results, each of the candidates will know how many delegates they can send to the convention to champion their cause. This Tuesday, more than a third of the 3,979 delegates will be pledged!

The hour of truth is coming for the Democrats. Thus far, the primaries in four states have seen Bernie Sanders take the lead, Pete Buttigieg surprise everyone, Amy Klobuchar rise out of anonymity, and Joe Biden make a big comeback.* But those states combined will send barely more than 150 delegates to Milwaukee. In other words: Peanuts!

It’s not over yet. On top of that, billionaire Michael Bloomberg is entering the fray tomorrow. The former mayor of New York has inundated the 14 states in play with commercials. Among them, the two most important states are California (with 494 delegates) and Texas (with 261 delegates).

In short, this week, there will remain only two, three, possibly four candidates likely to attain the 1,991 delegates necessary to clinch the Democratic nomination and challenge Trump in November. The others will gradually drop out of the race for lack of means, their donors betting on another horse.

The cherry on top is this: if the vote is very close, it will give considerable weight to the delegates of American voters living abroad, including those here in French-speaking Switzerland, who are also voting this week in Geneva!

*Editor’s Note: Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg ended his presidential campaign on March 1.


Qui affrontera Donald Trump lors du scrutin présidentiel de novembre? Lequel des candidats démocrates sera choisi par le parti lors de la Convention nationale qui se tiendra en juillet à Milwaukee? Une chose est sûre: la semaine qui s’ouvre sera déterminante. Demain, lors du Super Tuesday, des élections primaires se tiennent dans 14 des 50 États du pays. Et en fonction des résultats, chacun des candidats saura combien de délégués il pourra envoyer à cette convention pour défendre sa cause. Or, ce mardi, c’est plus d’un tiers des 3979 délégués qui seront ainsi désignés!

L’heure de vérité sonne donc pour les démocrates. Jusqu’ici, les primaires dans quatre États ont vu Bernie Sanders prendre la tête de la course, Pete Buttigieg surprendre tout le monde, Amy Klobuchar sortir de l’anonymat, Joe Biden revenir en force… Mais ces États enverront, ensemble, à peine plus de 150 délégués à Milwaukee. Autant dire: peanuts!

Rien n’est joué. En plus, le multimilliardaire Michael Bloomberg entre en lice demain et l’ancien maire de New York a inondé de spots publicitaires les quatorze États en jeu. Parmi eux, les deux plus importants: la Californie (494 délégués) et le Texas (261).

Bref, cette semaine, il ne restera que deux, trois, voire quatre candidats susceptibles d’atteindre les 1991 délégués nécessaires pour être choisis par le Parti démocrate et défier Trump en novembre. Les autres quitteront progressivement la course, faute de moyens, leurs donateurs pariant sur un autre «cheval».

Cerise sur le gâteau: si le vote est très serré, cela donnera beaucoup de poids aux délégués des électeurs étasuniens vivant à l’étranger. Dont ceux d’ici, en Suisse romande, qui votent également cette semaine à Genève!
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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