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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; With Sen. Bernie Sanders now out of the race, former Vice President Joe Biden now has a clear path to the Democratic nomination for president.
				Does it mean he has a clear path to victory in November?
				Three local political experts &mdash; Christopher Borick, professor of Political Science/director, Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, longtime Democratic political consultant Ed Mitchell, and Brian F. Carso, associate professor of history at Misericordia University &mdash; offered their opinions on the race between Scranton native Biden and Republican President Donald Trump.
				Sanders, 78, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the party&rsquo;s establishment lined swiftly up behind Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, an acknowledgment that the former vice president is too far ahead for Sanders to have any reasonable hope of catching up.
				&ldquo;This is a very generous act by Sen. Sanders for the country and the Democratic Party,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;Now Americans won&rsquo;t have to go out to vote in the remaining primaries like they did in Wisconsin yesterday. It keeps them safer at home avoiding the virus.&rdquo;
				Mitchell said Biden can now attempt to unify the party and raise the funds he&rsquo;ll need to unseat Trump.
				&ldquo;It is not easy to beat an incumbent president,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;Every day and dollar available will be crucial. It allows Biden to include Sanders&rsquo; ideas and supporters in the process.&rdquo;
				On that point, Mitchell said he expects Sanders&rsquo; supporters to get behind Biden&rsquo;s campaign.
				&ldquo;Most of them will,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;During the earlier primaries, polls showed that even more than a candidate the voter supported, the most important consideration was beating Trump.&rdquo;
				&rdquo;I like Biden&rsquo;s chances,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Voters are increasingly unhappy with the Trump handling of the pandemic. And the economy won&rsquo;t bounce back as quickly as he&rsquo;s predicting.&rdquo;
				Mitchell noted that Biden has said he will choose a woman for a running mate.
				&ldquo;Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan would be good strategic call,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;A lot of Democrats like Stacy Abrams (of Georgia), but she has not expressed interest in taking on that role.&rdquo;
				Borick said he feels Biden&rsquo;s path to taking Pennsylvania in 2020 is built on capturing a sliver of white working-class voters that were lost in 2016, and using Trump&rsquo;s unpopularity among younger voters, progressives and racial minorities to enhance turnout favorable to him.
				&ldquo;While flipping some voters is important, especially in a state that was so close in 2016, and that appears to be very close again in 2020, enhancing turnout among the Democratic base by itself could make the difference,&rdquo; Borick said. &ldquo;Biden by himself may not be able to generate the energy that can boost turnout among this group, but the threat of a second term for Trump may likely make the difference.&rdquo;
				Carso said Trump&rsquo;s plan to run on a strong economy is gone. He said his daily briefings get him the TV time he craves, but his &ldquo;misdirected ramblings&rdquo; provide endless footage for Democratic TV ads in the fall.
				&ldquo;When your best campaign tactic is to make sure your signature appears on relief checks, you&rsquo;ve got trouble,&rdquo; Carso said. &ldquo;Given the public health and economic emergencies we&rsquo;re in, Biden&rsquo;s nostalgic appeal to a restoration of how things used to be is a good platform on which to begin. But Biden has a real opportunity here. While the election will certainly be a referendum on Trump&rsquo;s handling of the federal response to the pandemic and the economic collapse, Biden can elevate his profile with a bold plan for both economic and civic rejuvenation, and an expansive proposal for health care reform.&rdquo;
				Carso added that Biden should not only pick a running mate, but should specifically identify key cabinet members who will make clear to voters that a highly competent A-Team is ready to restore all that&rsquo;s been lost.
				&ldquo;And there&rsquo;s a vacuum for the rhetoric of hope,&rdquo; Carso said. &ldquo;If Trump can&rsquo;t rise to a &lsquo;nothing to fear but fear itself&rdquo; moment, then Biden should eagerly fill the void.&rdquo;
				The trick is, Carso said, will be how Biden does this amid a national lockdown.
				&ldquo;His team needs to develop a whole new virtual method of shaking hands and kissing babies,&rdquo; Carso said. &ldquo;With Bernie Sanders out of the race, they can at least get started.&rdquo;

With Sanders out, area political experts say they like Biden’s chances in November