Last Tuesday, millions of Americans went to the polls and voted for their preferred Democratic candidates in the largest single day of the primary race. The states and territories containing around a third of the total number of delegates changed the shape of the Democratic race and made it clearer who might face off against U.S. President Donald Trump in the general election. Former vice president Joe Biden won Super Tuesday and handily beat expectations after gaining victories in 10 of the 14 states. Progressive firebrand Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) fell short of his campaign's expectations after winning only 4 states. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg won American Samoa despite spending over $500 million on campaign marketing, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) failed to win any states. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard won 2 delegates in American Samoa, though she will not qualify for the next debate. Both Bloomberg and Warren suspended their campaigns shortly after their weak finishes, leaving the 2020 Democratic race a dramatic showdown between Biden and Sanders.

The evening of Super Tuesday began with Biden's stunning victories along the East coast. In contrast to tight polling the week before mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar dropped out and endorsed Biden, he was easily projected to win North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, and Tennessee early on. Biden won the states with larger than expected margins, especially in Virginia and Alabama, where suburbanites and African-Americans came out in droves. Later in the evening, Biden also won Arkansas, Minnesota, and Warren's home state of Massachusetts, where she finished in a weak third. Texas and its 228 delegates remained too close to call, but Biden ultimately won with 34.5% of the vote to Sanders' 30%. Biden also narrowly won Maine with 34.1% to Sanders' 32.9%. But Sanders' kept his campaign alive with victories in Vermont, Colorado, Utah, and the largest prize of California and its 415 delegates, thanks to strong support among left-wing supporters and the key Latino demographic. Biden currently boasts a first-place total of 610 delegates, and Sanders trails with 513 delegates, though 102 delegates are yet to be awarded, due to prolonged vote counting in California.

Going into the weekend before Super Tuesday, Sanders was widely seen as the shocking front runner poised to extend his lead over Biden. But instead, various forces coalesced around Biden and vaulted him into first place in a stunning upset. Now Sanders is performing a post-mortem on what went wrong and how he can regain momentum to secure the nomination in the remaining primary contests. First, Sanders' prediction that young and new voters would fuel his political revolution failed to materialize, as the demographic comprised a relatively small portion of the Super Tuesday electorate and did not surpass 20% in any state. So he needs to find a way to galvanize young people. But Sanders also has a potential advantage in the upcoming debates with Biden. He can go on the offensive and hammer Biden's record of working with Republicans to pass legislation disliked by progressives and liberals. Unlike the previous crowded debates, Biden has no space to hide and must defend himself in the open, increasing the chances he makes terrible gaffes or mistakes.

The author is an independent voter sharing his own opinion.