Sanders candidate to beat, coronavirus acceleration slowing

Bernie Sanders emerged from the New Hampshire primary victorious having won the popular vote in Iowa and again in New Hampshire, appearing to currently be the candidate to beat. Placing second behind Sanders in both states, Pete Buttigieg leads the total delegate count by one, as he prepares to head to Nevada and South Carolina over the coming weeks. Sanders has strong support among minorities and young people in New Hampshire and highlighted his grassroots campaign during a victory speech Tuesday night. The speech centered on the need to unite behind the eventual nominee, which Sanders believes will be himself, and rightfully so, as the nomination process has become especially divisive.

Sanders has been attacked by many from the Democratic establishment of late, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton's former campaign strategist, James Carville. Both were particularly cutting in their remarks about Sanders, dismissing his ability to win in a general election, defaming his character and questioning his dedication to the Democratic Party. Bitterness from the 2016 campaign, perhaps, but not completely without merit. Sanders isn't their type of Democrat, undoubtedly. Whether or not a progressive candidate will be embraced by American voters is yet to be seen, but early data out of New Hampshire paints a clear picture.

Among households making under $100,000 annually, Sanders is by far the favorite candidate with over 35% of support. Among households with an income of over $100,000, meanwhile, Buttigieg is the clear winner with 34% of support. While the vast majority of Americans make under $100,000, will they show up to vote for Sanders in November? This is the 538-electoral vote question.

Going into Nevada and South Carolina, however, won't be as easy for Sanders, as the wealthy donors to Buttigieg and Joe Biden will be growing impatient. This means both candidates will pull out all the stops to derail the progressives, both Elizabeth Warren and Sanders. Already news reports of local Nevada unions running ads against Sanders, normally a union favorite, have begun circulating. Ultimately, both Sanders and Warren mean higher taxes for the wealthy and disruptions to both Wall Street and the pharmaceutical and health care sectors. Will they take this potential threat lying down or spend billions if need be on eliminating the progressive threat?

While cases of the coronavirus have continued to increase, the virus' acceleration has begun to slow. This is good news for both China and those with a close trading relationship with the country – which in a practical sense, means the entire world. Will the acceleration actually make the deadly virus disappear as did those before it? That's the bet for those that believe this pandemic is mostly hype. Even if it disappeared tomorrow, it would be at least 1-2 months before travel restrictions and airline routes return to normal. This will have adverse impact on the global economy throughout the year, by how much, however, is anyone's guess.