Biden's make-or-break week

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE MON, FEB 24, 2020 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,    It's looking more and more like Bernie Sanders is on the path to the Democratic presidential nomination. He won the Nevada caucuses, and he won big – thanks in large part to an ethnically and ideologically diverse coalition of voters.    While Sanders' momentum is the main headline, the second-biggest story out of this past Saturday's caucuses was Joe Biden's survival. His campaign said they were expecting a second-place finish in Nevada, and they got what they wanted. After fourth- and fifth-place finishes in predominantly white Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively, the former vice president needed to demonstrate a decent showing in a more diverse state.    Now comes South Carolina. The state's primary is seen as a bellwether for whom the Democratic Party's powerful bloc of black voters will largely support. For a while, Biden was the undisputed polling leader in the field among black voters. However, that support has plummeted in recent weeks as Biden's campaign struggled and Mike Bloomberg, a fellow moderate, entered the race and rose in the polls. Sanders, too, has been attracting more black support.    In South Carolina itself, Biden used to enjoy massive leads among the whole Democratic electorate and among the state's black Democrats. At the end of 2019, Biden was up nearly 20 points in the Real Clear Politics polling average of the Palmetto State. As of Monday morning, that lead was down to 3 points as the Sanders surge continues. Billionaire Tom Steyer might be doing the most damage to Biden, however. According to a new CBS News poll, Steyer's black support in the state shot up to 24% this week from 2% in November, while Biden's fell to 35% from 54%.   With a debate in South Carolina at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday night (we will be live blogging it at CNBC.com) and the state's primary on Saturday, this is shaping up to be the make-or-break week for Biden's campaign. Super Tuesday is just eight days away. If he has a prayer of staying in the race beyond then, it's time to show why he was considered the front-runner just a few weeks ago.    Thanks for reading.   Thoughts? Email me at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.     Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.  Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Bernie Sanders will win the Nevada caucus, NBC News projects, cementing his front-runner status After the Nevada caucus win, Sanders was set to open up a pledged national delegate lead over Pete Buttigieg, according to NBC News. Buffett on Bernie Sanders: US can do better for those left behind, but cannot kill capitalism Warren Buffett said that while he sympathizes with Bernie Sanders's motivation to ensure that no working American should have to struggle to provide for their children, he doesn't believe canceling capitalism is the best way to correct issues like income inequality. Buttigieg campaign calls on Nevada Democrats to address alleged irregularities in caucuses The Buttigieg campaign requested the party release early vote and in-person vote totals by precinct, correct early vote and second alignment errors and explain "anomalies" in the data. Bernie Sanders unveils $1.5 trillion universal child care and pre-K plan Bernie Sanders would provide federally funded child care and pre-K for all, going further than his rivals in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Bloomberg offers to release women from 3 non-disclosure agreements after Warren roasts him Mike Bloomberg was blasted by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at the recent Democratic debate for using NDAs and for his refusal to release women from them while running to unseat President Donald Trump. Economy will be 'strong factor' aiding Trump's re-election despite Boeing hit, Mnuchin says The strength of the U.S. economy will prove to be an important factor when voters head to the polls in November, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. As billionaires Bloomberg and Steyer burn through money, some 2020 Democrats run low on cash Bloomberg and Steyer are spending huge sums on their 2020 campaigns, as Sanders leads fundraising among the nonbillionaire Democrats. Biden, Buttigieg and Bloomberg take shots at projected Nevada caucus winner Bernie Sanders Biden took veiled jabs at Sanders and billionaire Mike Bloomberg, while Buttigieg attacked Sanders at length.       Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS