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Washington, March 5 (PTI/AP): His front-runner status slipping, Bernie Sanders refocused his Democratic presidential campaign on surging rival Joe Biden on Wednesday as the Vermont senator's allies grappled with the fallout from a Super Tuesday stumble that raised internal concerns about the direction of his White House bid.
Sanders targeted Biden's record on trade, Social Security and fundraising just hours after billionaire Mike Bloomberg suspended his campaign and Elizabeth Warren confirmed she was privately reassessing her future in the race.
The dramatic shifts signalled that the Democrats' once-crowded nomination fight had effectively come down to a two-man race for the right to face President Donald Trump in November.
Sanders declared himself neck and neck with Biden as he faced reporters in his home state, Vermont, one of just four states he captured on the most consequential day of voting in the party's 2020 primary season. Biden won 10 states, assembling victories that transcended geography, race and class.
What this campaign, I think, is increasingly about is, Which side are you on? Sanders said.
The progressive candidate lobbed familiar attacks against the former vice president's record but ignored supporters' calls to be more aggressive and insisted his campaign would avoid any Trump-type effort that included personal criticism.
I like Joe. I think he's a decent human being," Sanders said. "Joe and I have a very different vision for the future of this country. Biden told reporters he would unify the country and, without naming Sanders, knocked the senator's frequent contention that he is beholden to an elite party establishment.
The establishment are all those hard-working people" who voted on Tuesday, Biden told reporters in West Hollywood, California.
Elected officials and leading donors rallied around Biden after his Super Tuesday romp. Top Democrats have long been sceptical of the 77-year-old lifelong politician's political strength but raced to unite behind him to blunt Sanders' rise.
After suspending his campaign, Bloomberg became the fourth failed Democratic presidential contender this week to endorse Biden. Like the growing chorus of Democratic officials, Bloomberg called Biden the best chance to defeat Trump in the general election.
Warren's future was uncertain.
Sanders confirmed that he spoke to his progressive ally earlier in the day, though it was unclear whether she would endorse him or anyone else should she leave the race. Warren didn't win a single state on Super Tuesday and finished in third place in her home state of Massachusetts.
A resurgent Biden, meanwhile, was poised to finish Super Tuesday with more delegates than Sanders a stunning shift. Sanders' team had hoped he would finish the night more than 100 delegates ahead of his next closest competitor. He'll likely finish dozens of delegates behind once all the votes are counted.
Biden's allies sought to quickly capitalize on his success and take on Sanders.
Biden campaign co-chairman, Rep. Cedric Richmond, blasted Sanders for suggesting that the Democratic establishment was colluding against him. Richmond said Biden is earning his votes.
"I just did not know that African Americans in the South were considered part of the establishment," the Louisiana Democrat said, noting that Biden's overwhelming support among black voters gave him wide delegate gains in Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia, among other states.
The Sanders campaign announced it would begin airing three new campaign ads across states holding the next series of primary contests on March 10 and March 17: Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Washington state.
One new ad features archived footage of former President Barack Obama praising Sanders. It's a not-so-subtle attempt by the Vermont senator to undercut Biden's frequently spotlighting his closeness to Obama.
Despite the aggressive ad buy, there was new evidence of internal frustration with Sanders' strategy, which some believe has not been tough enough in courting high-profile endorsements or attacking Biden.
Sanders prefers to focus his criticism on the former vice president's record on key issues, declining to lean into more divisive attacks that will almost certainly come up in a prospective general election match-up against Trump.