WEBVTT 00:02.000 --> 00:04.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: After Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary contests, former Vice 00:04.466 --> 00:07.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% President Joe Biden has a clear lead. 00:07.333 --> 00:12.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% He won four states, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, and Michigan. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 00:14.233 --> 00:19.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% won North Dakota. And there is no projected winner yet in Washington state. 00:20.100 --> 00:22.200 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Our Lisa Desjardins has more. 00:22.200 --> 00:26.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: Today, Bernie Sanders spoke in a smaller, more sober setting than usual. 00:28.400 --> 00:32.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The senator from Vermont said that defeating President Trump was still his number-one goal, 00:34.066 --> 00:37.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and he will keep challenging Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, despite yesterday's 00:37.033 --> 00:39.600 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% primary night letdown. 00:39.600 --> 00:43.100 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), Presidential Candidate: On Sunday night, in the first one-on-one debate 00:45.000 --> 00:48.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of this campaign, the American people will have the opportunity to see which candidate 00:50.066 --> 00:53.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% is best positioned to accomplish that goal. 00:53.433 --> 00:56.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): There's no sugarcoating it. Tonight's a tough night. 00:56.433 --> 01:00.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% LISA DESJARDINS: Sanders supporter and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 01:00.533 --> 01:05.366 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% took to Instagram to console supporters and congratulate Biden. 01:05.366 --> 01:10.366 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% In a majority of yesterday's contests, moderate, suburban and black voters propelled the former 01:12.333 --> 01:16.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% vice president to victory over Sanders, leading to this moment last night in Philadelphia, 01:17.766 --> 01:20.266 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% with Biden making this appeal directly to Sanders backers: 01:20.266 --> 01:24.100 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential Candidate: I want to thank Bernie Sanders and his supporters 01:24.100 --> 01:29.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% for their tireless energy and their passion. We share a common goal. And, together, we 01:31.300 --> 01:33.400 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% will defeat Donald Trump. 01:33.400 --> 01:37.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% LISA DESJARDINS: One major Biden supporter, longtime South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, 01:37.366 --> 01:42.000 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% told NPR that it might be time soon to wind down the primary fight. 01:42.000 --> 01:46.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): I think we will be at a point where Joe Biden will be the 01:48.933 --> 01:53.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% prohibitive nominee of the party, and I think the DNC, the Democratic National Committee, 01:55.700 --> 01:59.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% should then step in, make an assessment, and determine whether or not they ought to have 02:00.300 --> 02:02.300 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% any more debates. 02:02.300 --> 02:06.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% LISA DESJARDINS: Both scrapped planned events last night because of coronavirus concerns. 02:08.333 --> 02:11.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And the planned TV debate on Sunday will go on, but without a live audience. 02:11.333 --> 02:13.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Lisa Desjardins. 02:13.833 --> 02:17.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: To give us more insight on how the Democratic Party is handling this 02:17.766 --> 02:22.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% changing primary race, I'm joined by Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez. 02:23.866 --> 02:25.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Tom Perez, welcome back to the "NewsHour." 02:25.800 --> 02:27.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TOM PEREZ, Chairman, Democratic National Committee: Always a pleasure to be with you. 02:27.933 --> 02:30.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: First question, does Bernie Sanders still have a chance to win the Democratic 02:30.166 --> 02:31.166 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% nomination? 02:31.166 --> 02:33.166 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% TOM PEREZ: Certainly. 02:33.166 --> 02:36.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We're -- a little under 50 percent of the delegates have been allocated. The magic number 02:36.266 --> 02:41.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% is 1,991. And so primaries are often about - - they're always about math, and they're 02:43.800 --> 02:45.900 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% often about momentum. 02:45.900 --> 02:50.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% And, certainly, the vice president has achieved some momentum here in South Carolina, Super 02:52.400 --> 02:54.633 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Tuesday, and then this week. 02:54.633 --> 02:59.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I have coached enough team sports and been around politics enough to know that momentum 03:01.600 --> 03:04.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% shifts do occur. And our job is to make sure that we continue to have a fair process and 03:07.200 --> 03:10.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% continue to work so that, whoever our nominee is, we can hit the ground running and we will 03:10.133 --> 03:11.133 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% be united as a party. 03:11.133 --> 03:13.633 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And I'm confident we will. 03:13.633 --> 03:17.266 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: So how do you respond to Congressman James Clyburn's saying that it's time for 03:18.666 --> 03:21.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the DNC, it's time for this primary process to be shut down? 03:21.166 --> 03:26.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TOM PEREZ: Well, I think it's always up to the candidates to figure out when it is time 03:26.166 --> 03:28.266 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% to say when. 03:28.266 --> 03:32.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And I respect the judgment of Senator Sanders moving forward. We have four more very important 03:34.566 --> 03:39.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% races next Tuesday. Those will provide us with some more information and insight, because 03:42.333 --> 03:47.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% they're big states, Ohio, Illinois, Arizona. And the biggest prize of all next Tuesday 03:47.300 --> 03:49.333 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% is Florida. 03:49.333 --> 03:53.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So we will be over the 50 percent mark by the end of the day Tuesday. Two weeks from 03:55.300 --> 03:58.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Tuesday -- or two weeks from yesterday, we then go down to Georgia. And so that's basically 03:59.900 --> 04:02.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% what we have for the next few weeks. 04:02.166 --> 04:07.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And I think then, again, this is about math. This is about understanding where you are 04:09.133 --> 04:14.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% in a process. And I don't think it's my place, as the DNC chair, to tell somebody when it's 04:15.066 --> 04:18.300 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% time to end your campaign. 04:18.300 --> 04:23.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% That's always up to the candidates. I didn't call Pete Buttigieg or I didn't call Amy Klobuchar 04:25.333 --> 04:27.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% or any of the candidates who got out. I never called anyone and said, I think it's really 04:27.433 --> 04:31.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% time for you to get out. That was a judgment that they made on their own, based on their 04:31.100 --> 04:33.100 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% own analysis. 04:33.100 --> 04:35.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: But it does sound as if other leaders in the party are saying that, either 04:35.633 --> 04:37.700 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% out loud or privately. 04:37.700 --> 04:40.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TOM PEREZ: Well, again, I can't stop others from doing what they're doing. 04:40.800 --> 04:45.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% What I can do is make sure that everybody gets a fair shake. And one thing I know -- because 04:45.800 --> 04:50.500 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% I have had the good fortune of working with both the vice president and with Senator Sanders, 04:50.500 --> 04:55.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% one thing I know is that, whoever our nominee is, they are both going to work their tails 04:56.366 --> 04:58.466 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% off to defeat Donald Trump. 04:58.466 --> 05:03.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And we have seen an absolute explosion in turnout. And I credit not only the two of 05:04.966 --> 05:08.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% them who are still in the race. I credit all the candidates, the excitement that has been 05:09.666 --> 05:12.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% generated throughout this Democratic primary. 05:12.533 --> 05:17.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You look at yesterday, more record turnout. You look at Super Tuesday, record turnout 05:18.266 --> 05:19.066 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% in New Hampshire. 05:19.066 --> 05:21.166 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% JUDY WOODRUFF: Yes. 05:21.166 --> 05:23.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TOM PEREZ: Blew through the numbers in 2008, South Carolina, the same thing. 05:23.200 --> 05:26.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, the energy is there, the momentum is there. And we will come together as a party. 05:26.500 --> 05:31.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: I'm sure that you heard Senator Sanders' statement today, the questions that 05:33.500 --> 05:36.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% he said he wants to hear Vice President Biden respond to having to do with Medicare for 05:38.700 --> 05:42.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% all, having to do with college debt, with climate change, suggesting pretty clearly 05:44.433 --> 05:49.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that he wants, he expects Joe Biden to accommodate some of Bernie Sanders' positions. 05:51.400 --> 05:56.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% How far do you think Joe Biden should go in accommodating some of the more progressive 05:56.900 --> 05:58.933 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% ideas of Bernie Sanders? 05:58.933 --> 06:03.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TOM PEREZ: Well, I think -- again, one of the things that gives me great optimism as 06:05.600 --> 06:09.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% we move forward, Judy, is that what unites us as a party far exceeds what our differences 06:10.400 --> 06:12.366 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% are. 06:12.366 --> 06:16.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Everybody running for president understands the imperative of combating climate change 06:18.333 --> 06:21.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and making sure that we make decisions based on the science. Everybody understands that. 06:23.633 --> 06:26.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Everybody running for president understands that we should make sure everyone has access 06:26.000 --> 06:31.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to quality, affordable health care. And thanks to LBJ and Barack Obama, we're about 85, 90 06:32.366 --> 06:36.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% percent the way up the mountain of universals health care. 06:36.333 --> 06:41.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% They undeniably have differences of opinion on how to get that 15, 10 percent to the mountaintop, 06:43.266 --> 06:46.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% but the imperative of getting there, they have complete agreement on. And the imperative 06:46.933 --> 06:51.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of making sure that people with preexisting conditions being able to maintain their coverage, 06:51.766 --> 06:53.733 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% they completely agree on. 06:53.733 --> 06:57.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Taking on the pharmaceutical industry, they completely agree on. So, what unites us, I 06:57.200 --> 07:00.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% think, far exceeds what our differences are. And the voters will see that. 07:00.700 --> 07:03.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Two quick questions about coronavirus. 07:03.300 --> 07:08.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Given the severity of what we know is now going on, it's a pandemic, should our two 07:08.133 --> 07:13.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% political parties find ways to work together that they haven't found before now on this 07:13.600 --> 07:15.633 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% issue? 07:15.633 --> 07:18.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TOM PEREZ: Well, I think there are a number of areas where I would hope that we could 07:18.166 --> 07:20.233 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% have worked together. 07:20.233 --> 07:25.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% One letter we sent a long time ago was, if either party obtains information that was 07:28.000 --> 07:32.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% a product of foreign interference, we should never use that information. We sent a letter 07:32.300 --> 07:37.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% a while ago calling on the Republicans to come together on that. Unfortunately, they 07:37.766 --> 07:40.433 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% said no. 07:40.433 --> 07:43.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% I would love to figure out ways to work together. We should be following our public health guidance, 07:45.633 --> 07:48.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% our public health professionals. I have great respect for the doctors and other professionals 07:48.633 --> 07:50.866 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% at the National Institutes of Health. 07:50.866 --> 07:55.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I had the privilege of working with many of them in the Obama administration. And I think 07:57.966 --> 08:01.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% we should be able to come together. This is - - coronavirus is not about right vs. left. 08:03.500 --> 08:07.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's about public health. And it's about making sure that we, as a nation, can come together. 08:09.800 --> 08:13.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% It's very disappointing to see the absence of sufficient preparedness. I saw how preparedness 08:15.366 --> 08:19.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% worked with Ebola. You may recall and your viewers will recall, when President Obama 08:19.500 --> 08:24.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% took office, H1N1 was very real, and that preparedness helped. 08:26.433 --> 08:28.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Those shouldn't be partisan issues. We should be able to come together around principles 08:28.533 --> 08:30.666 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of preparedness. 08:30.666 --> 08:32.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% JUDY WOODRUFF: Very quickly, plans still on for the Democratic National Convention in 08:32.600 --> 08:34.633 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% July? 08:34.633 --> 08:36.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% TOM PEREZ: Yes, they are. And we're going to continue to work with federal, state and 08:36.766 --> 08:41.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% local officials to make sure that we put no one in harm's way, so that we can have a good 08:41.666 --> 08:43.100 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% convention. 08:43.100 --> 08:44.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Tom Perez, thank you very much. 08:44.033 --> 08:45.066 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% TOM PEREZ: Thank you.