The Democratic presidential contest has had no shortage of candidates. Today, Virginians like Erica Sweets are finally picking who they back.
It’s Super Tuesday in Virginia, one of 14 states voting to pick a Democratic presidential nominee. After dozens of candidates and months of debates that slowly narrowed down the field, we followed Erica Sweets of Alexandria to vote this morning before she headed into work.
Like many Virginia voters, Sweets has moved back and forth over which candidate she supports, and was still making up her mind as she headed to the polls.
Her indecision wasn’t for lack of paying attention. Sweets is a Department of Defense contractor who has always been a bit of a political junkie.
“I grew up knowing all of the presidents in order by memory and I interned for two and a half years on Capitol Hill,” Sweets told the Dogwood. But the constantly changing field of candidates made the decision making process more difficult.
“I have it narrowed down to four people and I was hoping to decide by Tuesday,” she said last week. “It’s hard to decide when the candidates you wanted, like Cory Booker and Julian Castro, have dropped out already.”
After nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was a clear front-runner to become the Democratic nominee. But former Vice President Joe Biden won a decisive victory in South Carolina Saturday, with support from Virginia Democrats like Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Then Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race, and both endorsed Biden in Dallas on Monday.
The race is now nearly tied between Sanders and Biden, and the results of Super Tuesday races will likely play a big role in pushing one candidate to the 1,991 delegate votes needed to secure the Democratic nomination.
Polls close in Virginia at 7 p.m. Not sure where to vote? Check out our guide here.
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