Mike Bloomberg suspends his campaign, endorses Joe Biden; Warren is on the clock

My ears did not deceive me when I heard Michael Bloomberg’s campaign spokespersons making statements on Tuesday night that indicated to me that he will be withdrawing soon.

This morning, Mike Bloomberg suspended his presidential campaign, says he’s endorsing Biden:

Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York who had hoped to self-fund his way to the Democratic presidential nomination but was spurned by voters in Tuesday’s balloting, has dropped out of the race.

Bloomberg endorsed Joe Biden, saying the former vice president had the best chance to win in November.

“I’ve always believed that defeating Donald Trump starts with uniting behind the candidate with the best shot to do it. After yesterday’s vote, it is clear that candidate is my friend and a great American, Joe Biden,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

Bloomberg will put his resources “in the broadest way possible behind Joe Biden’s candidacy,” Tim O’Brien, a senior adviser to the Bloomberg campaign, said Wednesday. “We have long-term leases and long-term contracts with the team and the intention was always to put this big machine we have built behind whoever the nominee is.”

Biden, in turn, has signaled he will welcome Bloomberg’s financial support, drawing a sharp contrast with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whose advisers have said they would reject any independent assistance from the billionaire.

“This race is bigger than candidates and bigger than politics,” Biden declared in a tweet addressed to Bloomberg Wednesday morning. “It’s about defeating Donald Trump, and with your help, we’re gonna do it.”

Working behind the scenes to support Democrats is a better role for Bloomberg. 21 of 24 Democratic House Candidates Supported By Mike Bloomberg’s Independence USA Won Midterm Elections in 2018.

Elizabeth Warren is also reassessing her campaign after her poor performance on Super Tuesday. Warren campaign manager asks for ‘time and space’ for her to consider next steps:

Roger Lau, Warren’s campaign manager, sent an all-staff email to the campaign Wednesday morning thanking them and explaining that the candidate will make a decision about her path forward in coming days.

“Last night, we fell well short of viability goals and projections, and we are disappointed in the results,” Lau wrote, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Washington Post. “We are going to announce shortly that Elizabeth is talking to the team to assess the path forward.”

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Lau also noted that the race has been fluid, which is a potential reason for Warren to continue her campaign.

“The race has been extremely volatile in recent weeks and days with front-runners changing at a pretty rapid pace,” Lau said.

He also asked that Warren be given some time to figure out her next move.

“All of us have worked for Elizabeth long enough to know that she isn’t a lifetime politician and doesn’t think like one,” Lau said. “She’s going to take time right now to think through the right way to continue this fight.”

He added that Warren is well aware of the high stakes in the primary and in the upcoming general election.

“This decision is in her hands, and it’s important that she has the time and space to consider what comes next,” Lau wrote.

This sounds like an impending withdrawal to me. This is about to be a two man race by the time we get to the Arizona primary.

Note: The candidates who have withdrawn and endorsed Joe Biden will release their delegates at the convention. While they technically become free agents at that point, committed delegates are likely to follow the wishes of their candidate. The majority of them will vote for Joe Biden, which means his delegate total is larger than it appears.