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Biden campaign and DNC forge deal for joint fundraising

After a couple of weeks of negotiations, Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee officially reached an agreement to begin joint fundraising as they aim to oust President Trump from the White House and defeat Republicans in down-ballot races.

A DNC official confirmed to Fox News that the new joint venture will be called the ‘Biden Victory Fund.’

BIDEN HAULS IN NEARLY $50 MILLION IN MARCH, HIS BEST FUNDRAISING MONTH TO DATE

The teaming up by the Biden campaign and the national party committee comes after both enjoyed their best fundraising month of the 2020 election cycle. The former vice president hauled in $46.7 million in March, thanks to sweeping primary victories that cleared all but one rival from the race as much of the party coalesced around the all-but-certain presumptive nominee. And the DNC raked in $32 million last month.

The president’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee hauled in $63 million in March. The two have been building their fundraising juggernaut since early 2017 and as of the beginning of April had a combined $240 million cash on hand. The forging of forces by Biden’s team and the DNC will help as both try to trim the massive campaign cash disadvantage they currently face.

As Fox News previously reported, talks between the Biden campaign and the DNC over joint-fundraising began shortly after Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont – Biden’s last remaining rival for the nomination – suspended his campaign on April 8.

Under the agreement, dollars will be allowed to give up to $360,000 to the new joint-venture. But only a percentage of that total amount would go to Biden’s campaign, with the rest heading into the DNC’s coffers.

BIDEN HOLDS POLLING EDGE OVER TRUMP IN KEY BATTLEGROUNDS, BUT THERE’S A CATCH

A DNC official on general election planning tells Fox News that the initial deal is only between the Biden team and the DNC, with partnerships between the Biden campaign and state Democratic parties to be explored in the near future.

As part of the agreement, the national party’s chief executive officer – Seema Nanda – is departing and is being replaced by senior advisor Mary Beth Cahill – who had previously served in that capacity with the DNC. Cahill also managed then-Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign. The former senator from Massachusetts and secretary of state during President Obama’s second term is a leading supporter and surrogate for Biden.

Cahill emphasized that “our goal is to ensure that we put Joe Biden in the best position possible to beat Donald Trump, and this joint fundraising agreement allows us to do just that.”

DNC chairman Tom Perez praised Nanda, who’s tenure at the party included the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats won back the House of Representatives.

“Because of her work, we as a party are more unified and in a strong position to beat Donald Trump,” Perez said. “Mary Beth will bring her decades of experience and strategy to ensure that Joe Biden becomes the President of the United States and Democrats win at every level.”

Fundraising may be more difficult moving forward, with most Americans huddling at home in hopes of preventing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. With in-person fundraisers an impossibility due to social distancing rules, Biden’s now holding virtual fundraisers.

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Biden said on March 15 that he had already raised $33 million in the first half of March. But that was before the outbreak had fully grounded the country’s economy. Biden brought in less than $14 million in the second half of the month.

At a recent virtual fundraiser, Biden lowered expectations for April.

“I know that April may not match March in fundraising, and that’s okay by me. The world has changed a great deal. It’s unrecognizable at times. Your family and your community need your generosity and strength now more than ever,” Biden said.

But late last week, Biden said he raised $5 million in the two days after he was endorsed by his old boss former President Barack Obama and by two key rivals: Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who dropped out of the race in early March but remained neutral, and Sanders.

“We’re raising more money than we ever raised because they’re going out to their people and saying, ‘It’s time to give your five bucks, it’s time to help.’ They’re going into their lists as well,” Biden said last week at a virtual fundraiser.

Biden wants Sanders to be ‘part of the journey’ in 2020 campaign

Joe Biden floats idea of virtual Democratic National Convention amid COVID-19 crisis

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Former Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview televised Tuesday that November’s general election “cannot” be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And the all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee insisted in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show that he also wants primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders “to be part of the journey” going forward — just not as his running mate.

BIDEN MAKES PUSH FOR EXPANDING VOTING BY MAIL

With the coronavirus outbreak forcing social distancing and keeping most Americans in their homes in hopes of preventing a spread of the virus, the Democratic presidential nomination calendar has been upended, with many states delaying their remaining contests or transforming them entirely to voting by mail and absentee balloting.

“I’d much prefer to have on — you know, in-person voting, but it depends. It depends on the state of play,” Biden stressed. “But we cannot, we cannot delay or postpone a constitutionally required November election.”

Biden said that now’s the time to start looking into what it “would it would take to have voting by mail.”

Last week, the former vice president, in an interview with MSNBC, predicted “there’s going to be a great deal more absentee balloting” or voting by mail.

The $2 trillion economic stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump – which aims to help workers, small businesses, and large companies devastated by the shut-down of much of the nation’s economy due to the pandemic, as well as provide aid to hospitals on the front lines in the crisis – also included $400 million to help states move toward mail-in voting.

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Senate Democrats had pushed for $2 billion in election funding, with House Democrats angling for double that amount. Congressional Democrats say they’ll work to increase funding in the next stimulus package.

But the push for increased voting by mail and absentee balloting faces fierce opposition by President Trump and Republicans.

While the president has said the general election will go forward, he stressed recently that he opposes voting by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic because “I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting.”

The charge by Trump was his latest disputed claim regarding voter fraud, which he argues kept him from winning the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election.

“It shouldn’t be mail-in voting,” Trump added. “It should be: you go to a booth and you proudly display yourself. You don’t send it in the mail where people can pick up — all sorts of bad things can happen … by the time it gets in and is tabulated.”

RNC CHAIR RAISES VOTER FRAUD CONCERNS IN OPPOSITION TO EXPANDING ABSENTEE BALLOTING

And Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel – in an opinion piece Monday on FoxNews.com – claimed that “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former Vice President Joe Biden say we must throw election integrity to the wayside in favor of an all-mail election, fundamentally changing how Americans vote in eight months. The overhaul would vastly expand opportunities for fraud and weaken confidence in our elections, but all Washington Democrats see is a potential benefit for their party.”

The broader partisan fight over voting by mail comes as Wisconsin’s conservative-dominated Supreme Court squashed a primary eve move by the state’s Democratic governor to delay in-person voting in Tuesday’s primary amid health concerns due to the pandemic. And the Republican-nominated justices on U.S. Supreme Court won out over the Democratic-nominated justices in a 5-4 ruling, preventing a one-week extension of voting by mail in Wisconsin’s primary.

PRIMARY UNDERWAY IN WISCONSIN AFTER BITTER PARTISAN BATTLE TO DELAY ELECTION

Among the races on the ballot in Wisconsin: the Democratic presidential primary between Biden and his last remaining rival, Sen. Sanders.

A pre-primary public opinion poll indicated the former vice president with a nearly two-to-one lead over the populist senator from Vermont. The chorus of calls for Sanders to end his White House bid and back Biden will only grow louder if Sanders suffers another defeat in Wisconsin – a state that the senator easily won over eventual nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary.

In his quest to unite the Democratic Party as he prepares to challenge Trump in the general election, Biden’s looking to win the backing of Sanders and his legions of younger and progressive supporters.

“Bernie has an incredible following,” Biden said in the interview. “Bernie is one of probably a half a dozen people in American history who may not be the nominee, but has had an impact on American politics in a significant way, in a positive way.”

And Biden pledged that “if I’m the nominee, I can tell you one thing. I would very much want Bernie to be part of the journey, not as a vice presidential nominee, but just engaging in all the things that he’s worked so hard to do, many of which I agree.”

John Lewis endorses Biden: ‘He will lead our country to a better place’

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, said he’ll campaign aggressively for the former vice president despite battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer. 

Democratic Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights icon from Georgia, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, becoming the latest prominent black lawmaker to support the Democratic front-runner’s candidacy.

“He’s been a friend, a good friend, he’s a man of courage, a man of faith, he will be a great President, he will lead our country to a better place,” said Lewis.

Despite battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Lewis said he’d “work hard” to campaign for Biden, though the coronavirus pandemic has upended the presidential election.

REP. JOHN LEWIS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 4 PANCREATIC CANCER

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Lewis marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 in Selma, Ala., and has been an outspoken critic of President Trump. His endorsement showcases Biden’s strength among older black voters, a prominent coalition that has helped him clinch a delegate lead over his rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Georgia congressman, however, acknowledged having to win over young black voters, as well, telling them to “get out there and vote, like we never, ever voted before.”

“People died for the right to vote. I would tell the young people the story of Selma, Montgomery, and Mississippi. If we fail to vote, we don’t count,” Lewis said.

Biden called Lewis one of his “heroes,” saying during an interview with NBC News’  Craig Melvin: “The fact that he would endorse me…makes me even more certain that I should be doing what I’m doing. I’m a great, great admirer of John Lewis. He’s a man of enormous integrity.”

The presidential hopeful is already looking toward the general election. He said during a virtual fundraiser Friday night that he’s pushing ahead with his search for a female running mate, even reaching out to former President Barack Obama and Sanders to discuss his search. Lewis supported the idea of picking a “woman of color.”

BIDEN TELLS SANDERS HE’S MOVING FORWARD WITH VP SEARCH

Biden has committed to picking a female running mate. Lewis said it “would be good to have a woman of color.”

“It would be good to have a woman of color. It would be good to have a woman who looks like the rest of America… I think the time is long past to make the White House look like the whole of America,” said Lewis.

Lewis’ endorsement comes as Wisconsin holds its primary. Several states have delayed elections due to the coronavirus outbreak. Georgia pushed its primary to May 19. Still, Lewis emphasized the importance of voting.

GEORGIA POSTPONES PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES OVER CORONAVIRUS FEARS

“I’m worried about whether we’re going to be able to have a free and clean election. I just hope that in spite of whatever is going on I know that people do not be afraid to come out and vote,” said Lewis.

Biden calls for student loan forgiveness, more aid in next wave of coronavirus response

Former Vice President Joe Biden wants Americans to know how he’d implement the massive $2 trillion coronavirus package to jumpstart the economy if he were in the White House.

The all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee on Thursday unveiled his plan for implementing the funding, which aims to rescue workers, small businesses and large companies devastated by an economy that’s been largely shut down as many Americans huddle in their homes to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

WHAT’S IN THE MASSIVE $2 TRILLION CORONAVIRUS STIMULUS PACKAGE

President Trump is waiting to sign the bill into law after likely passage by the House of Representatives on Friday. The bipartisan measure passed the Senate 96-0 late Wednesday night.

“The United States Senate just reached a deal on a major economic relief package. It’s a very important step and includes support for families and small businesses, the very things I’ve been calling for for a while now. And when it passes, the key will be its execution,” Biden said in a video that accompanied his plan.

Biden outlined steps he “would do immediately” to make the plan work, including using “all available authorities,” including the much-discussed Defense Production Act, to help stop the spread of COVID-19, the diseased spread by the coronavirus outbreak.

President Trump invoked the law last week – but has been criticized by Democrats for not yet implementing a key provision that would require private companies to immediately prioritize production of supplies desperately needed by hospitals and medical workers on the frontlines in the fight to combat the coronavirus.

Biden also said that he’d bring congressional leaders together to hammer out the next deal. Biden said among the items he’d push for in the next package would be providing student loan forgiveness for at least $10,000 per person, Social Security increases, full paid sick leave for our workers, and if needed more direct cash relief.

Biden took aim at the president for his suggestion this week that social distancing mandates could be relaxed next month in order to get the country back to work

“In recent days, there’s been talk that we have to choose between public health and our economy,” Biden said. “That’s simply a false choice and a dangerous one. It would be catastrophic to reopen everything without a plan, and then have a spike in cases and shut it back down.”

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The former vice president also said if he were in the White House he’d “appoint a task force reporting directly to me to make sure that every single dollar going out the door gets to the people who need it the most.”

He said that would include keeping workers on the payroll, keeping “small business in business throughout this crisis,” and he said that “I would call in the major banks and tell them to get those small business loans out the door. If they don’t make small business a priority, I would seek authority, similar to the Defense Production Act, to make sure that they had to do that.”

Biden added that he’d insist that CEOs of larger companies “make hard commitments so they will put the aid toward their workers, not enriching CEOs or shareholders.”

Pointing to Trump, Biden stressed that “Congress is doing its job. The president has to do his now. This is all about implementation.”

The president’s re-election campaign, responding to Biden’s plan, said it “is late to the game, plagiarizing from the Trump Adminisration’s plan while brazenly taking advantage of the crisis to ram through radical left-wing pet projects that have nothing to do with the coronavirus.”

Biden’s plan is part of his push this week to increase his media profile and project leadership as he explains how he’d handle the federal government’s response to the pandemic if he were in the White House.

Biden urges Trump to drop ObamaCare lawsuit amid coronavirus crisis

Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed a letter to the Trump administration on Monday asking them to drop a lawsuit threatening Obamacare. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden is calling on President Trump to drop a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act amid the growing coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter addressed on Monday morning to Trump, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and 18 attorneys general, Biden wrote, “At a time of national emergency, which is laying bare the existing vulnerabilities in our public health infrastructure, it is unconscionable that you are continuing to pursue a lawsuit designed to strip millions of Americans of their health insurance and protections under the Affordable Care Act., including the ban on insurers denying coverage or raising premiums due to pre-existing conditions.”

IN BRIEF CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING, BIDEN CALLS FOR UNITY AND TAKES AIM AT TRUMP 

The letter was sent exactly 10 years after former President Obama signed the ACA into law. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review a challenge to the ACA’s constitutionality after a group of states led by Texas claimed there was no longer a legal justification for it.

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The law was first upheld by the Supreme Court under the justification that the financial penalty tied to the individual mandate, the requirement to buy health insurance, fell under Congress’ taxation power. But when Trump eliminated the penalty, Republican-led states claimed there was no longer a legal basis for the mandate.

In December, a federal appeals court panel found the law unconstitutional.

“The litigation you are supporting––Texas v. U.S.–– threatens the peace of mind and access to care for hundreds of millions of Americans…The only reason this new case gained traction was because Congressional Republicans decided to amend the law and zero-out the penalty for not being insured, and legal experts from across the ideological spectrum have concluded that this new argument––that this change invalidates the entire law––is legally unsupportable,” Biden argued in the letter.

SUPREME COURT AGREES TO REVIEW OBAMACARE CHALLENGE OVER FUNDING MECHANISM

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review a challenge to the ACA’s constitutionality after a group of states led by Texas claimed there was no longer a legal justification for it.  

At a town hall hosted by Fox News in Scranton, Penn., earlier this month, Trump was asked how he plans to rally Republicans around a health care plan after failing to come up with an alternative to ObamaCare.

“I think it’s probably the thing that I’m most disappointed that I haven’t been able to say ‘what a good job we’ve done.’ I haven’t been able to sell what a great job we’ve done. First of all, I got rid of the individual mandate, which was the worst part of ObamaCare,” Trump responded.

The Supreme Court is unlikely to make a decision on the case until after the 2020 election.

In the meantime, the number of coronavirus cases in the country continues to rise, with about 500 deaths on Monday.

BARTIROMO: MARKETS GETTING NERVOUS WITH NO ‘END DATE’ IN SIGHT FOR CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWNS

During a virtual presentation from his home in Wilmington, Delaware Monday, Biden addressed the pandemic, saying, “This is not the moment to add additional uncertainty and fear in this nation or to let politics Trump doing what’s right. Give America peace of mind. “

Biden urges Trump to drop ObamaCare lawsuit amid coronavirus crisis

Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed a letter to the Trump administration on Monday asking them to drop a lawsuit threatening Obamacare. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden is calling on President Trump to drop a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act amid the growing coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter addressed on Monday morning to Trump, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and 18 attorneys general, Biden wrote, “At a time of national emergency, which is laying bare the existing vulnerabilities in our public health infrastructure, it is unconscionable that you are continuing to pursue a lawsuit designed to strip millions of Americans of their health insurance and protections under the Affordable Care Act., including the ban on insurers denying coverage or raising premiums due to pre-existing conditions.”

IN BRIEF CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING, BIDEN CALLS FOR UNITY AND TAKES AIM AT TRUMP 

The letter was sent exactly 10 years after former President Obama signed the ACA into law. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review a challenge to the ACA’s constitutionality after a group of states led by Texas claimed there was no longer a legal justification for it.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The law was first upheld by the Supreme Court under the justification that the financial penalty tied to the individual mandate, the requirement to buy health insurance, fell under Congress’ taxation power. But when Trump eliminated the penalty, Republican-led states claimed there was no longer a legal basis for the mandate.

In December, a federal appeals court panel found the law unconstitutional.

“The litigation you are supporting––Texas v. U.S.–– threatens the peace of mind and access to care for hundreds of millions of Americans…The only reason this new case gained traction was because Congressional Republicans decided to amend the law and zero-out the penalty for not being insured, and legal experts from across the ideological spectrum have concluded that this new argument––that this change invalidates the entire law––is legally unsupportable,” Biden argued in the letter.

SUPREME COURT AGREES TO REVIEW OBAMACARE CHALLENGE OVER FUNDING MECHANISM

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would review a challenge to the ACA’s constitutionality after a group of states led by Texas claimed there was no longer a legal justification for it.  

At a town hall hosted by Fox News in Scranton, Penn., earlier this month, Trump was asked how he plans to rally Republicans around a health care plan after failing to come up with an alternative to ObamaCare.

“I think it’s probably the thing that I’m most disappointed that I haven’t been able to say ‘what a good job we’ve done.’ I haven’t been able to sell what a great job we’ve done. First of all, I got rid of the individual mandate, which was the worst part of ObamaCare,” Trump responded.

The Supreme Court is unlikely to make a decision on the case until after the 2020 election.

In the meantime, the number of coronavirus cases in the country continues to rise, with about 500 deaths on Monday.

BARTIROMO: MARKETS GETTING NERVOUS WITH NO ‘END DATE’ IN SIGHT FOR CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWNS

During a virtual presentation from his home in Wilmington, Delaware Monday, Biden addressed the pandemic, saying, “This is not the moment to add additional uncertainty and fear in this nation or to let politics Trump doing what’s right. Give America peace of mind. “

Biden launches $12 million ad blitz in six states

Joe Biden on Saturday launched a $12 million ad buy — the largest paid media blitz of his campaign — that’s fueled by a big fundraising windfall since his campaign’s comeback last week.

Biden will spend $8 million on TV with the rest of the money spent on radio and digital platforms. The ads will air across six states that vote in the next two weeks: Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Florida, Illinois and Ohio, his campaign announced.

Biden, who has lagged his rivals in fundraising for much of the campaign, got a boost in donations following his big win in South Carolina and victories in 10 of the 14 Super Tuesday states.

Biden announced Friday he’d raised $22 million in the last five days.

SANDERS SAYS BIDEN CAN’T ‘GENERATE ENTHUSIASM’ DUE TO BILLIONAIRE BACKERS

One ad, called “Service,” features former President Barack Obama’s January 2017 speech when he honored his former vice president with the Medal of Freedom.

A second ad touts Biden’s Super Tuesday victories and defends his record on Social Security, which rival Bernie Sanders has gone after in a separate ad.

Biden this week touted the big turnouts he’s garnered — especially in Virginia, which topped 2008 levels — and said he wants to be the force to unify Democrats.

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“What we can’t let happen is let this primary become a negative bloodbath,” Biden said Friday when he called in to a fundraiser. “I know I’m 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 re-elect Trump. We have to keep our eyes on the ball.”

Biden crows after solid Super Tuesday showing: ‘It may be over for the other guy’

An enthusiastic Joe Biden – giddy after sweeping the South and winning at least eight of the 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday – declared his White House bid was “taking off” and suggested “it may be over” for Democratic presidential nomination rival Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The former vice president – speaking Tuesday night in Los Angeles – spotlighted how his White House bid has dramatically rebounded in just the last few days.

“To those who’ve been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign,” Biden told supporters. “Just a few days ago the press and the pundits had declared the campaign dead.”

“To those who’ve been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign. Just a few days ago the press and the pundits had declared the campaign dead.”

— Joe Biden

BIDEN SURGES ACROSS SUPER TUESDAY MAP BUT SANDERS WINS THE NIGHT’S BIGGEST PRIZE

Biden, once the unrivaled front-runner for the nomination, was wounded after a lackluster fourth-place finish in Iowa’s caucuses and a disappointing fifth-place showing in New Hampshire’s primary. But a slight rebound in Nevada’s caucuses – where he came in a distant second to Sanders – was followed this past weekend with a landslide victory in the South Carolina primary.

“Then came South Carolina and they had something to say about it,” Biden told the crows. “And we were told when it got to Super Tuesday it would be over.

“Well, it may be over for the other guy,” Biden added, pointing at Sanders, the populist self-described democratic socialist from Vermont.

“We were told when it got to Super Tuesday it would be over. Well, it may be over for the other guy.”

— Joe Biden

Biden’s goal going into Super Tuesday – where one-third of all Democratic convention nominating delegates were up for grabs – was to stay close to Sanders in the delegate hunt and cement his status as the moderate alternative to the progressive senator.

Biden’s odds of achieving that goal improved immensely this week after two fellow centrists candidates – former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — ended their White House bids and backed Biden. 

On Tuesday morning Biden’s campaign went up with a TV ad in Minnesota using clips of Klobuchar’s Monday night endorsement of him.

Biden ended up winning the state and gave his one-time rival a shout-out.

“I was so proud yesterday, being embraced by Amy Klobuchar,” he said. “We won Minnesota because of Amy Klobuchar.”

SANDERS TEARS INTO BIDEN’S RECORD – VOWS NOMINATION VICTORY

While Sanders – in his speech minutes earlier – repeatedly battered Biden over his record – Biden took only a few jabs in return. One target was Sanders’ repeated calls for a political “revolution.”

“People are talking about a revolution,” Biden said. “We started a movement. We’ve increased turnout. The turnout turned out for us.”

Biden also ribbed Sanders for being an independent rather than a declared Democrat.

“If you want a nominee who’s a Democrat, a lifelong Democrat, a proud Democrat, an Obama-Biden Democrat — join us,” Biden said.

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Biden’s speech was momentarily disrupted when protesters holding signs reading “Let Dairy Die” stormed the podium and came inches to reaching the candidate. The demonstrators appeared to represent the anti-dairy group “Direct Action Everywhere,” a California-based animal rights group. They were quickly dragged off the stage by Biden aides, including senior adviser Symone Sanders.

On Sunday, protesters with “Let Dairy Die” signs were also tossed from a Sanders event.

Biden crows after solid Super Tuesday showing: ‘It may be over for the other guy’

An enthusiastic Joe Biden – giddy after sweeping the South and winning at least eight of the 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday – declared his White House bid was “taking off” and suggested “it may be over” for Democratic presidential nomination rival Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The former vice president – speaking Tuesday night in Los Angeles – spotlighted how his White House bid has dramatically rebounded in just the last few days.

“To those who’ve been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign,” Biden told supporters. “Just a few days ago the press and the pundits had declared the campaign dead.”

“To those who’ve been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign. Just a few days ago the press and the pundits had declared the campaign dead.”

— Joe Biden

BIDEN SURGES ACROSS SUPER TUESDAY MAP BUT SANDERS WINS THE NIGHT’S BIGGEST PRIZE

Biden, once the unrivaled front-runner for the nomination, was wounded after a lackluster fourth-place finish in Iowa’s caucuses and a disappointing fifth-place showing in New Hampshire’s primary. But a slight rebound in Nevada’s caucuses – where he came in a distant second to Sanders – was followed this past weekend with a landslide victory in the South Carolina primary.

“Then came South Carolina and they had something to say about it,” Biden told the crows. “And we were told when it got to Super Tuesday it would be over.

“Well, it may be over for the other guy,” Biden added, pointing at Sanders, the populist self-described democratic socialist from Vermont.

“We were told when it got to Super Tuesday it would be over. Well, it may be over for the other guy.”

— Joe Biden

Biden’s goal going into Super Tuesday – where one-third of all Democratic convention nominating delegates were up for grabs – was to stay close to Sanders in the delegate hunt and cement his status as the moderate alternative to the progressive senator.

Biden’s odds of achieving that goal improved immensely this week after two fellow centrists candidates – former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — ended their White House bids and backed Biden. 

On Tuesday morning Biden’s campaign went up with a TV ad in Minnesota using clips of Klobuchar’s Monday night endorsement of him.

Biden ended up winning the state and gave his one-time rival a shout-out.

“I was so proud yesterday, being embraced by Amy Klobuchar,” he said. “We won Minnesota because of Amy Klobuchar.”

SANDERS TEARS INTO BIDEN’S RECORD – VOWS NOMINATION VICTORY

While Sanders – in his speech minutes earlier – repeatedly battered Biden over his record – Biden took only a few jabs in return. One target was Sanders’ repeated calls for a political “revolution.”

“People are talking about a revolution,” Biden said. “We started a movement. We’ve increased turnout. The turnout turned out for us.”

Biden also ribbed Sanders for being an independent rather than a declared Democrat.

“If you want a nominee who’s a Democrat, a lifelong Democrat, a proud Democrat, an Obama-Biden Democrat — join us,” Biden said.

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Biden’s speech was momentarily disrupted when protesters holding signs reading “Let Dairy Die” stormed the podium and came inches to reaching the candidate. The demonstrators appeared to represent the anti-dairy group “Direct Action Everywhere,” a California-based animal rights group. They were quickly dragged off the stage by Biden aides, including senior adviser Symone Sanders.

On Sunday, protesters with “Let Dairy Die” signs were also tossed from a Sanders event.

Can South Carolina resurrect Joe Biden’s White House bid?

CONWAY, S.C. – Joe Biden’s down – but he’s not out.

And the former vice president’s banking on a win in South Carolina’s first-in-the-south primary on Saturday to pump new life into his struggling bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The one-time unrivaled front-runner in the race was greeted by a crowd of 700 – large by Biden standards – as well as a smaller overflow group at his town hall Thursday night at Coastal Carolina University.

SANDERS BUMPS BIDEN FROM TOP SPOT IN NEW FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL

Biden didn’t make a plea for support, but celebrity endorser Vivica A. Fox spotlighted what’s at stake in Saturday’s primary.

“We are counting on you guys to start to get the 2020 election back on track,” Fox emphasized to the crowd moments before introducing Biden.

Former Vice President Joe Biden takes selfies with voters at a town hall in Conway, SC on Feb. 27, 2020

Biden’s long considered South Carolina – where black voters make up roughly 60 percent of the Democratic presidential primary electorate – his firewall.

Thanks in large part to his eight years as vice president under President Barack Obama, America’s first black commander-in-chief, Biden remains popular with African-American voters. And after disappointing fourth- and fifth-place finishes in the predominantly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as a distant second-place finish to current front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders in last weekend’s Nevada caucuses,  a convincing victory in South Carolina is a necessity.

But a loss in the Palmetto State would likely bring an eventual end to Biden’s third bid for the White House.

All of the latest polls show Biden with a lead – but they’re volatile. One survey puts Biden a whopping 20 percentage points ahead of Sanders – who’s stepped up his outreach to black voters – while another suggests the former vice president with a narrow 4-point-edge over the populist Vermont senator, who followed up a win in New Hampshire’s primary with a shellacking of the rest of the Democratic presidential field in Nevada.

A RealClearPolitics average of the six polls conducted this week indicates Biden at 34 percent support among likely Democratic presidential primary voters in South Carolina, a dozen points ahead of Sanders in second place.

In third place in those polls is environmental and progressive advocate Tom Steyer, who’s poured millions of his own money into his South Carolina effort to win the support of black voters. He’s emerged as a significant factor in the race.

Throw in another metric – pumped up fundraising. Thanks to a well-received muscular prime-time debate performance on Tuesday night in Charleston, Biden’s seen a boost in fundraising, which the former vice president has struggled with this cycle.

The Biden campaign touted that it brought in $1.2 million from nearly 30,000 donors in the day after the debate. And the pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country on Friday told Fox News it hauled in $2.5 million on Thursday.

BIDEN LANDS MAJOR SOUTH CAROLINA ENDORSEMENT AHEAD OF SATURDAY’S PRIMARY

And on Wednesday, in the wake of the debate, the former vice president landed the endorsement of longtime Rep. James Clyburn – the dean of Palmetto State Democrats. The backing by Clyburn, the most senior black politician in the state, was seen as a boost.

Another prominent black endorser in South Carolina, state Sen. Marlon Kimpson, told Fox News on Friday that he’s “cautiously optimistic.”

“By every indication, we expect a big Joe Biden victory but we have to continue to keep our feet on the pedal because we can’t take anything for granted. So I’m encouraging our team to keep knocking on doors, to keep making calls, keep tweeting, staying engaged,” he said.

At Thursday’s event, Biden once again spotlighted his close working relationship with his boss for eight years.

“The vice president and president who are the closest in American history are Barack and me,” he said.

Coastal Carolina University student Jay Dye was in the audience at the Biden campaign event on Thursday night.

The undecided black voter said “I’m leaning towards [Biden] but I’m still teetering. I’m also thinking about Bernie. It’s between those two.”

And he shared that his decision “will come down to the last minute.”

Coleman Randall of nearby Little River, S.C., who was also in the crowd, said he decided even before Clyburn’s endorsement on Wednesday to vote for Biden.

“I trust Jim Clyburn. I trust Biden’s record up to this point,” he explained.

And looking ahead to three days after Saturday’s primary – when 14 states from coast to coast hold contests on Super Tuesday – Randall said: “I’m also interested to see what happens after South Carolina since he’s putting so much into South Carolina, so give him a shot, try to put him forward and see what happens next week and may the best man or woman win.”

Biden’s team is hoping a convincing victory in South Carolina will generate plenty of attention and earned national media to propel the ex-vice president into Super Tuesday – where giant states like California and Texas hold contests and a third of the Democratic presidential nomination delegates are up for grabs.

He’ll need it, because as he’s concentrated all his energy on South Carolina the past week, Biden’s badly trailed his rivals when it comes to investing time and money on the Super Tuesday states.

But first things first.

A cautious Biden said Friday morning during a CNN interview that “I don’t want to jinx myself along the line here. I feel very good. I’ve worked hard to earn these votes. And I think I’ll do well.”