The entire field of Democratic candidates trying to catch frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is in a "make-or-break moment" for Tuesday night's debate, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News' "America’s Newsroom."
"If they do not take on Bernie Sanders, they are all in trouble if they're going to win the nomination," Scott said.
Scott stressed the momentum coming out of his state's primary this Saturday will be crucial for Super Tuesday a few days later. Those primaries, he pointed out, include Texas and California, which represent about a third of the delegates Sanders would need to become the nominee.
Scott said if "Joe Biden does not win by double digits [in South Carolina], it's a loss for him and perhaps the end of his campaign."
He emphasized, "three weeks ago, Biden had a 30-point lead in South Carolina. Bernie's numbers within the African-American community in South Carolina are up close to 50% from 2016. If that momentum continues, its bar the door."
Scott reiterated, "This is going to be a consequential debate tonight, which will foreshadow what happens on Saturday, and that leads right into Super Tuesday."
He predicted everyone on the debate stage will try to be seen as the only alternative to Sanders, which he called a "tall order for all the candidates."
He pointed out the centrist vote is very split, "which gives headway and, frankly, a pathway to victory" for Sanders.
Scott added, if Sanders becomes the Democratic nominee, it would "become the clearest delineation between the two parties we've seen in 50 years."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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