Byron York on why Joe Biden's long Senate career may not work in his favor
Voters tend not to reward presidential candidates that spent a long time in the Senate, says Fox News contributor Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner.
Joe Biden's 36-year career in the United States Senate may serve as a good indication of the former vice president's electability in November, Washington Examiner chief political correspondent and Fox News contributor Byron York said Tuesday.
"Voters have not tended to reward people who spent a long time in the U.S. Senate," York explained to Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum as the polls closed on "Super Tuesday 2.0."
"Biden spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate, and nobody who has spent 36 years in the Senate has ever been elected president."
"Biden spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate, and nobody who has spent 36 years in the Senate has ever been elected president," York said. "Nobody who has spent 30 years, or 25 years, or 20, or 15, has ever been elected."
York pointed to Bob Dole's 1996 failed presidential campaign -- which followed Dole's 27 years in the Senate -- as proof of his theory.
"John Kerry tried it after 19 years in the Senate [in 2004], didn't work for him," York went on. "John McCain tried it after 21 years in the Senate [in 2008], did not work for him."
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"On the flip side," York continued. "Barack Obama is elected to the Senate in 2004. He shows up, sworn in in 2005, almost immediately plans on getting out. Two years later, [in] 2007, running for president. That is the way you get to the White House from the Senate."
Even if Biden does emerge with a victory in Tuesday's primaries, York said he anticipates a fight from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who will likely remain in the race and continue his efforts to galvanize supporters.
"His followers ... a lot of them ... in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina ... had a sense of grievance from 2016, and they are kind of on [a] hair-trigger now, expecting Bernie to get the shaft again," York said.
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"They are very loyal, and they will stay that way. The big problem is, because of the Democratic system of proportional allocation of delegates, it is really hard to make up a lead. It looks like Biden has the lead right now before any of these votes have been announced, [by] about 95 delegates. It's really hard to make up 95 delegates unless you win some blowout somewhere," he continued, adding "that is probably not going to happen."
Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in Michigan in 2016, 49.8 percent to 48.3 percent, but the latest polls indicated Sanders trailing Biden there.
As of 9 p.m. ET, Biden was projected to win the primary contests in Mississippi, Missouri, and Michigan, while the North Dakota caucuses result too early to call. Idaho and Washington state polls have yet to close. In all, 352 delegates are up for grabs on Tuesday, with 125 in Michigan alone.
Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.
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