GOP political strategist Karl Rove warned on Monday that there’s still “a long way to go” for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to capture the Democratic presidential nomination, saying Sanders has only captured “one-43rd” of the delegates needed to win.
“They have elected in the three contests thus far a grand total of 101 delegates to the Democratic National Convention,” Rove told Fox News anchors Ed Henry and Sandra Smith on “America’s Newsroom.”
“That’s 2.5 percent of the total,” he added.
After the first three Democratic contests, Sanders has won 35 delegates compared to 24 for former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. To clinch the nomination, a candidate must take 1,991 delegates.
“He’s got one-43rd of what he needs, and yet we’re all of a sudden declaring this contest is all over before 47 other states and the District of Columbia and several other jurisdictions are able to vote,” said Rove, the former strategist for President George W. Bush.
Rove also said that Sanders has only won one decisive victory, in Nevada.
“Bernie’s got a lead, the field is splintered. He won Iowa with the lowest percentage of anybody in history and it ain’t even close. He won New Hampshire with the lowest percentage of the vote of anybody in history because the field is splintered,” Rove said.
In the Iowa caucuses, Sanders won more total votes than Buttigieg, but the ex-mayor won one more delegate than the Vermont senator.
Rove also said this Saturday’s contest in South Carolina is do-or-die for former Vice President Joe Biden.
“He wins South Carolina, he goes into Super Tuesday with momentum. He loses South Carolina, he’s out of the contest,” Rove predicted.
Polls show a tightening race between Sanders and Biden in the Palmetto State.