Former New York mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bloomberg who spent more than $500m (£390m) of his own money on his campaign, and did not win a single state, thereafter endorsed former Vice president Joe Biden. Mr Bloomberg, 78, announced his departure from the race after a disappointing finish on Super Tuesday in the slate of states that account for almost one-third of the total delegates available in the Democratic nominating race. He won only a consolation win in a tiny US territory of American Samoa and garnered several dozen votes in California and Texas to pick up delegates, according to incomplete results.
“Three months ago, I entered the race for President to defeat Donald Trump,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “Today, I am leaving the race for the same reason: to defeat Donald Trump — because it is clear to me that staying in would make achieving that goal more difficult.” Mr Bloomberg was appearing on a presidential ballot for the first time after skipping all four contests last month in the states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Biden, meanwhile, won big in Southern states where Bloomberg invested tens of millions of dollars.
The former vice-president presents himself as an equitable realist who will user in unbiased change and restore "decency" after the Trump presidency. Two of Bloomberg’s former Democratic rivals, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, dropped out of the race and approved Biden as the moderate alternative to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders just the day before Super Tuesday. Senator Elizabeth Warren, once the frontrunner in the race, suffered a crushing defeat to Mr Biden in her home state of Massachusetts.
As things stand, Mr Biden has 402 delegates and Mr Sanders 314. However, results from California, which has 415 delegates, could affect the current standing. The Democratic Party is at a crossroads as its voters decide which candidate has the most favourable chance of denying Mr Trump a second term in office this autumn.
