A top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) dismissed the candidate’s losses on Super Tuesday and expressed confidence that he was still in a good position heading into later primary contests.
Chuck Rocha, a senior adviser on the Sanders campaign, said he was confident Sanders would remain close with former Vice President Joe Biden in the delegate hunt after Tuesday’s contests, where Biden had a strong showing with several unexpected wins.
“We want to win every state. And as the senator said the other night, we’re not always going to win them all. But I need folks at home to stay grounded, step away from your keyboard for two seconds and listen to me. We’re going to be just fine,” Rocha said Wednesday on Hill.TV’s “Rising.”
“And after they count all of these delegates in California, Biden may be ahead 10, 20, 25 if he’s having a good night and we’re going to be right where we need to be,” Rocha added. “Everybody at home, it was a big night, and we are right where we need to be.”
His remarks came after Biden went on a tear across the South, winning Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The former vice president also picked up wins in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Texas, three states where Sanders was expected put up strong showings. Biden also won Oklahoma, a state Sanders won in the 2016 primary.
Sanders, meanwhile, picked up California, Colorado, Utah and his home state of Vermont on Tuesday.
“Sure, I would have liked to pick up Texas,” Rocha admitted.
The Super Tuesday contests wrapped up a whirlwind 72 hours for Biden, who won the South Carolina primary on Saturday and later cemented his status as the centrist front-runner after former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) suspended their own presidential bids and backed the former vice president.
The delegates from Tuesday’s contests are still being counted. In California, which Sanders won big, it could take days or weeks to tally up all the votes. The Golden State, the largest primary contest of the cycle, will allocate a whopping 415 pledged delegates.
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