Former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday revealed that his campaign raised USD 22mn in a period of five days following a remarkable comeback in the Democratic primary nearly equaling the same amount he would raise in the last three months of 2019. Biden connecting with his supporters via a phone call at a Bethesda, Maryland, fundraiser also warned against negativity from “Bernie Brothers ahead of next Super Tuesday showdown, adding that the primary cannot become a “negative bloodbath.”
An aide informed Cable News Network that the money came in a short time after Biden secured victories in South Carolina primary on Super Tuesday. The boost is significant for Biden given his compressed fundraisers in the last few quarters which were comparatively low than his rivals. Vermont Senator’s raised USD 34.5mn in the 4th quarter of 2019.
On the phone call, Biden also took an issue with social democrat supporters who identify themselves as “Bernie Bros.”
“What we can’t let happen is let this primary become a negative bloodbath. I know I a am going to get a lot of suggestions on how to respond to what I suspect will be an increasingly negative campaign that the Bernie Brothers will run. But we can’t tear this party apart and reelect Trump. We have to keep our eyes on the ball, in my view,” said former Vice President.
Mike Casca, Sanders’ communications director, responded to the fellow Democrat’s comments late Friday night.
“Tens of millions are uninsured while coronavirus spreads, the planet is warming at an accelerating rate, working people haven’t seen a real raise in decades, and Joe Biden is worried about some damn tweets?” Casca remarked in statement. “Let’s try to stay focused on the big issues.”
With the race getting more intense, Sanders also has stepped up his level to criticize his rival in the two-man race for nomination as he lambasted him on a social security, North American Free Trade Agreement and Iraq War vote. But the Vermont Senator has not stopped here as he opened new attacks on the Biden and slammed him on his record on LGBQT and reproductive rights, specifically making a mention of the former Delaware senator’s past support on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and the Hyde Amendment, which disallows the use of federal funds for abortion in most of cases. The former VP however supported the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and separated himself from the Hyde Amendment in June 2019.
“When we talk about differences with my friend Joe Biden – and he is my friend – I think it is important for people of Michigan and people of America to know difference in our record,” Sanders said Friday during a rally in Detroit. “Joe’s been around for a while, I’ve been around for a while, how do we differ, what’s our records? Who stood up when the going was tough?”
The former vice president admitted that he would be attacked in if he is able to get the Democratic nomination for general election but also said that Sanders was likely to continue throwing punches as well.
“It’s going to be hard. This guy’s going to come at me and throw everything including the kitchen sink,” he said. “I don’t mean Bernie, I mean in the general election. But Bernie is going to throw – he’ll at least throw the dishwasher at me.”
The former vice president rendered apologies for not appearing at the fundraiser in person as his supporters expected him adding that he had to show up somewhere for a major endorsement” that could come very soon. It is not clear as who will be the new endorser of the former Delaware Senator.
