Joe Biden tells The State he is the best 2020 candidate to help down ballot SC races

[highplainsdem]

https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/election/article239443073.html

COLUMBIA, S.C.

Former Vice President Joe Biden defended himself against questions of whether he was the best candidate to win in November, telling The State newspaper on Sunday that his 2020 presidential candidacy would be the best to help other Democrats running for office in South Carolina and elsewhere.

“You have to be able to be a helpful candidate and the top of the ticket matters as you all know in South Carolina,” Biden said. “I’m just asking the rhetorical question: Bernie’s the top of the ticket in North, in South Carolina or Warren’s the top of the ticket. How many Democrats down the line you think are gonna win?”

Biden made the comments about his rivals — U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — during an interview with The State in betweenBiden’s stops at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Columbia and an oyster roast and fish fry in Orangeburg County held by state solicitor Dave Pascoe.

-snip-

U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, an arguably more moderate Democrat from the Charleston area, surprised political observers and voters in 2018 when he beat state Rep. Katie Arrington in the midterms after she stunned longtime politician, former U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is likely to face the most well-funded Democratic challenger the state has seen in a U.S. Senate race.

Democrat Jaime Harrison, the former state party chairman, has raised millions of dollars to compete with Graham, who brings to the race his own record-breaking campaign fundraising and close alliance with President Donald Trump.

“It’s just practical,” Biden said. “And so, the question is who is best equipped to help Democrats win in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and several, Arizona, several other states. And if you look at the data in those states, I win in those states, and, or I’m competitive in those states.”

-snip-

Video clips with the article, with the comments above plus a few more, including Biden saying that the presidential candidate has to be someone down-ballot candidates can run with, and not run away from.

[Cha]

1. KR!

[George II]

2. He is.

[UniteFightBack]

3. It's the damn truth. What's scary is why is this not apparent to all? nt

[Demsrule86]

4. Maybe we can send Lindsey home.

[Thekaspervote]

6. His challenger has pulled very close in the polls...one can hope

[Demsrule86]

9. You never know...crazier things have happened.

[Thekaspervote]

5. And indeed he is!!

[NYMinute]

7. Joe is 100% right

[Gothmog]

8. Support of down ballot candidates is a key issue for me

I and a good number of real Democrats are working hard to turn Texas blue. If Biden is the nominee, Texas will be a battleground state and we can pick up some additional house seats and maybe a Senate seat. In Texas, we had 101 republicans in the Texas house after the 2010 elections compared to 49 Democrats. Right now we are 9 seats away from taking control of the Texas house and having the ability to block GOP control of Texas redistricting in 2021. Texas is projected to pick up 3 congressional seats. I am working on the Eliz Markowitz campaign and was at a fundraiser Thursday night when Joe Biden endorsed Eliz

Link to tweet

The candidate at the top of the ticket makes a difference. If sanders or Warren is the nominee, we can forget about Texas being a battleground and the GOP will be picking up some lost seats.

[highplainsdem]

10. kick

[The Valley Below]

11. Biden will have long coat-tails.

[Cha]

12. Yep!