Democratic presidential candidates,vformer Vice President Joe Biden, participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at the Gaillard Center, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in Charleston, S.C., co-hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Former Vice President Joe Biden seems to be fairly optimistic about his chances of securing the Democratic presidential nomination after his decisive victory in South Carolina’s primaries. Recent polls reveal that Biden’s prospects for winning a similar type of success during Super Tuesday aren’t too promising. Nevertheless, in an appearance on Fox News, he seemed undeterred.

In a conversation on “Fox News Sunday” with host Chris Wallace, Biden conceded that he is lagging behind his opponents when it comes to advertising and the number of campaign offices in critical states, acknowledging that it “surely doesn’t help.” But he insisted that he still has favorable odds of winning states that vote after Super Tuesday. “There’s a lot of big states coming up after that,” he said.

Biden went on to express his confidence that his campaign can still gain momentum despite the possibly negative results on Super Tuesday. “I’m not a pundit, and I’m not being a wise guy, I’m being deadly earnest: I feel good about where we are,” he said. “I think it’s about the message, I think that people know who I am, I think we’ve now begun to raise money, I think things are picking up, but we’ll see.”

Wallace pointed out the millions of dollars being spent by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and asked Biden: “How do you compete with that?” The former vice president answered, “On your show, by doing as much of the free press and earned media as I can.” He added, “Money can buy a lot, but it can’t hide your record and it can’t make you something that you are not. Mike is a solid, serious guy, he’s in the debates now and we’re able to discuss the differences that we have.”

The candidate then threw some low-key shade at both Bloomberg and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). “But I think the Democratic party is looking for a Democrat — not a socialist, not a former Republican, but a Democrat – to be their nominee,” he noted.

While Sanders remains the frontrunner, it appears that this particular contest might become a two-person race sooner rather than later. With Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) slowly fading into the background, it’s not difficult to imagine that the race might come down to Biden and Sanders.

Biden, despite his flubs and gaffes, remains a contender while Bloomberg still hopes to spend his way to the nomination. However, the former New York Mayor’s poor showing at the two debates in which he was involved, combined with his problematic history with female employees, could quickly sink him further into a hole from which he cannot escape.

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told NPR News that “it is fast emerging as a two-person race.” Former Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe echoed Lake’s sentiments in an appearance on MSNBC. “There’s only two people I think are going to accept our party’s nomination,” he explained. “It’s either Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden.”

If the battle for the Democratic nomination boils down to Biden and Sanders, the war between the moderate establishment and the progressive socialist wing will play out right before America’s eyes at the presidential level. Socialist politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and the rest of the squad are fighting to unseat moderates in Congress. Both conflicts represent the struggle for the soul of the party, and both could have serious ramifications for the rest of the nation.

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