American Democratic primaries: Joe Biden's newfound confidence
The former vice president is rallying. In Jackson, Mississippi, he poses as a unifier.
A brass section welcomes Joe Biden's supporters in the gymnasium of Tougaloo College, north of Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. Groans of trumpet, glissando of trombone, the audience already installed in the stands pitch happily, Sunday March 8. The former vice-president still can't quite match his opponent Bernie Sanders when it comes to gathering crowds. But after a streak of resounding victories, his audiences grew dramatically when compared in retrospect to the very modest venues he was speaking to in New Hampshire in early February.
At the time, his third candidacy for the presidential nomination, after those of 1988 and 2008, seemed already compromised and a good part of those who came to listen to him did not hide their intention to support someone other than him. Those days are over for the time being. Alisa Butler, who came with her family, displays unwavering confidence in her candidate. Joe Biden's age doesn't put her off for a moment, assures the African American, "My mom is pretty much the same and I can assure you she's active and knows what she's talking about."
Peggy Hampton now says she is "reassured" because she considers the November presidential election to be "one of the most important" of her life, due to the presence in the White House of Donald Trump. “I was worried because I don't see how you can win with Bernie Sanders. "
After Joe Biden's setbacks in Iowa and New Hampshire, she searched for an alternative, even considering backing billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The former vice president's triumph in South Carolina was a "relief" to her. "I had found him very presidential" during the debate which preceded, on February 25. Peggy Hampton therefore returned to her first choice. "What I love about Joe Biden is his character," she said. Her age in her seventies doesn't frighten her any more than Alisa Butler: “In her case, that comes with a lot of experience. "
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Julie and Paul Parish were tempted by the renewal at the start of the Democratic primary. Julie's first choice was Kamala Harris, the African-American senator from California, who dropped out in December. "If Sanders is our candidate in November, of course I will vote for him, but that's the only scenario I can imagine doing it," said the young woman. Paul turned to Pete Buttigieg, captivated by “his intelligence and his personal history” as the first openly gay candidate for the Democratic Party.
