Jonathan Bernstein, Columnist

Joe Biden Is (Almost Certainly) the Democratic Nominee

Consider this the start of his general election campaign.

March 11, 2020 at 5:30 AM UTC

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

All smiles.
Photographer: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

Even with plenty of votes remaining to be counted in Michigan and returns from two other states not yet in, it’s clear that Joe Biden had another very good day Tuesday. He’s essentially wrapped up the Democratic nomination. Yes, Bernie Sanders technically still could pull ahead, but realistically, the race is over.

There are three stories — all correct, at least in part — explaining how Joe Biden did it.