Elizabeth Warren taking ‘time and space’ to reassess presidential bid after Super Tuesday losses

Elizabeth Warren — weighing whether to end her presidential bid — has retreated from the campaign trail amid increasing calls to consolidate the Democrats’ progressive wing after a Super Tuesday shellacking at the hands of Joe Biden.

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

The Massachusetts senator spent Wednesday reassessing her campaign — with the national press camped outside her house — after an anemic showing on Super Tuesday, including a crushing loss in the Bay State, that solidified the race between the former vice president and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. It was unclear when she would reach a decision.

“We are obviously disappointed, and Elizabeth is talking with our team to assess the path forward,” Lau wrote.

Sanders said in a press conference Wednesday that he had spoken with Warren earlier in the day.

“She is assessing her campaign. She has not made any decisions as of this point,” Sanders said, adding that it’s important to “respect the time and the space that she needs to make her decision.”

As recently as Sunday, Warren’s campaign touted expectations that she would win delegates “in nearly every state” on Super Tuesday.

But Warren failed to finish higher than third-place in a single state Tuesday, losing Massachusetts to Biden in an upset that surprised even his own supporters, while Sanders finished second. And as the dust settled, Warren appeared on track to nab delegates in only a handful of the 14 states.

Warren, the last major female candidate in the race, has a lot to consider. She’s under pressure from some progressives to drop out and support Sanders as moderates coalesce around Biden. But her relationship with the Vermont senator lately has been fraught with tension.

And the notion of Warren staying in the race to play convention kingmaker “could be really damaging,” said Democratic strategist Tony Cignoli.

“I don’t think anyone can see a path forward for her now,” Cignoli said. “There’s not a state she can go where she’s an odds-on favorite.”

Even President Trump hinted for Warren to get out, tweeting, “If Elizabeth Warren wasn’t in the race, Bernie Sanders would have EASILY won Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas, not to mention various other states.”

Warren pledged to “fight” in a Detroit rally Tuesday night. But while the lights were on at her Cambridge home Wednesday, Warren was nowhere to be seen. Her nearby campaign office was dark, a handwritten sign directing volunteers to a Super Tuesday watch party still taped to the door.

Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley, a Warren supporter, conceded that Tuesday’s results weren’t “optimal.” But, he said, “As long as she’s in this race, she’s going to be a factor.”

Sean Philip Cotter contributed to this report.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3awMA7t