The Centro Studi Americani (CSA), Thursday 27 February wanted to dedicate an evening to Super Tuesday in the presence of journalists and experts. There was talk not only of the possible results of the primaries in the USA - on the day in which 14 states vote and 1.357 delegates are at stake - but also of all the stages and twists and turns that could occur between now and the next presidential election scheduled for next november. A few hours from the key day of the US primaries, there have already been two significant abandonments in the Democratic race - those of Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, both with endorsements for Joe Biden. We talked about this and more with the director of the CSA Carlotta Ventura.
Super Super Tuesday is a crucial moment both for the race for the White House but, above all, for the balance within the Democrats themselves. Why has this year acquired even greater value?
“The Super Tuesday results are an extremely significant event in providing an indicator of the success of the electoral campaigns carried out by the various Democratic candidates. After Biden's victory in the Dem primary in South Carolina and the consequent setback by Bloomberg, all eyes are on tonight's challenge. Important states such as Texas, Colorado and Alabama will vote today. The novelty of this year is the fact that the California vote has been brought forward, which with its important package of delegates, further strengthens the relevance of this vote".
The big news of the last hour was the retirement of Pete Buttigieg.
“Many have called his choice premature. But "Mayor Pete", after the fourth round of the primary in South Carolina, preferred to throw in the towel when the results placed him in fourth place with only 8,2% of the votes. If his strengths were his young age and having served in the army (moreover with a direct commitment in Afghanistan), I think it was above all his lack of experience in national politics that weighed ”.
Amy Klobuchar also leaves the race for the White House. What should we expect now that competition is becoming more radical?
“The polarization that Super Tuesday imposes will allow candidates to better focus their proposals, trying first of all to intercept the votes of the other contenders who have withdrawn. However, this operation will be particularly complex precisely because it will have to take place without those who remain in the running losing appeal with respect to their reference voters. In this challenge between politics and policies, therefore, lies the key to the success that the candidates remaining in the field will try to achieve on this fundamental Super Tuesday, which will determine almost 1/3 of the delegates. For Buttigieg it is a retreat that potentially opens up a great future”.
How is Trump following the duel in the democratic field?
“President Trump as his opponent, it reads, would like Bernie Sanders. Since there will be no Republican primary because Trump is the candidate, there are numerous Republicans who will vote for Sanders. Be careful though. Sanders at the time of the coronavirus should not be underestimated. He says he knows how people feel, he understands their concerns about the spread of the epidemic. It is no coincidence that among his proposals there is free healthcare and university studies for everyone. In fact, we must not forget that in America healthcare is private and there is no money for ambulances and tampons. He's not that distant from Trump in the way he intercepts the audience."
You mentioned the coronavirus. If it arrives in an important way also in the United States, will it be able to influence the electoral campaign in any way?
“I don't think this can become a factor, unless the epidemic becomes so important as to lead to an emergency that the current administration will prove unable to manage. But that would be a catastrophe of another kind that one hopes will not happen."
