In a wide-ranging quarantine interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, Larry David, co-creator of “Seinfeld” and creator and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” said that it’s time for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to drop out of the Democratic presidential primary.
“I feel he should drop out,” David said.
Because he’s too far behind. He can’t get the nomination. And I think, you know, it’s no time to fool around here. Everybody’s got to support Biden.
David is also known to many for his uncanny impersonation of the Vermont senator on “Saturday Night Live.” David first appeared as Sanders on “SNL” during the 2016 Democratic primary between the senator and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. David was brought back to the stage after Sanders announced his candidacy for the 2020 nomination.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, “at least 15 states and one territory have postponed or otherwise extended their presidential primaries,” according to ABC News. The Democratic National Convention has also been delayed, moving from its initial mid-July date to sometime in August.
All of this has stalled what was a roaring comeback for the Joe Biden campaign, which, prior to the former vice president’s landslide victory in South Carolina in late-February, was looking bleak.
Following his win in the Palmetto State, Biden whipped up enough enthusiasm to score victories in 10 of the 14 Super Tuesday states, gaining the upper hand on rival Sanders. Biden also went on to win eight more races in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Florida prior to most other primaries being postponed.
As of publication, Joe Biden has 1,217 delegates, and Sen. Bernie Sanders has 914. To clinch the Democratic nomination at the convention, a candidate must have 1,991 pledged delegates.
Despite Sanders’ increasingly narrow path to the nomination, as well as pressure from the media, the senator has refused to bow out of the race.
On Wednesday, Sen. Sanders told Whoopi Goldberg of “The View” that he wasn’t dropping out:
Last I heard, people in a democracy have a right to vote and they have a right to vote for the agenda that they think can work for America, especially in this very, very difficult moment. We are assessing our campaign, as a matter of fact, where we want to go forward.
The senator went on to speak about his work on the next proposed COVID-19 stimulus legislation.
Bernie Sanders on staying in the race: “Last I heard, people in a democracy have a right to vote and have a right to vote for the agenda that they think can work for America, especially in this very, very difficult moment. We are assessing our campaign.” https://t.co/XqBZIxsIGR pic.twitter.com/WPNsidZQ7f
— ABC News (@ABC) April 1, 2020
According to the RealClearPolitics national polling average, Joe Biden leads Bernie Sanders by 20.5 points (56% to 35.5%). Although the polling isn’t as fresh, Biden leads Sanders by a 22.5-point margin in Ohio, he leads Sanders by an 11.5-point margin in Pennsylvania, and he leads Sanders by an 18.3-point margin in Wisconsin.
The betting odds also give Biden a seemingly insurmountable lead with 83.9 points. Sanders actually comes in fourth place with 5.2 points behind New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (6.3 points) and Hillary Clinton (6 points), neither of whom are running for president.