The party strikes back: How Biden's prospects soared so quickly

Two weeks ago, Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy was almost dead. Today he looks like the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. What happened?

In part it was geographic. The former vice president’s core supporters were scarce in early voting states, but more prevalent from South Carolina on. He also likely benefited from a bandwagon effect, attracting support because suddenly he seemed like a winner.

But one foundational aspect of Mr. Biden’s sudden strength was almost certainly that much of the institutional Democratic Party stood up and rallied around him. After rank-and-file African American voters threw their weight behind him in South Carolina, party actors from elected officials to local activists decided within a few days to coalesce around an imperfect but broadly acceptable alternative to Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom

A stunning turnaroundBig endorsement from ClyburnConsternation in Sanders’ camp