Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden Cancel Cleveland Rallies

CLEVELAND — Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden have canceled their Tuesday evening presidential rallies in Cleveland due to concerns over the new coronavirus. State officials have said Ohioans should avoid any large gatherings of people, to stymie the spread of the virus.

Both Biden and Sanders expressed regrets to Ohioans and said all future campaign events would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The rallies were expected to draw thousands of northeast Ohioans to the Huntington Convention Center in downtown Cleveland.

Ohio's first confirmed cases of new coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, were announced Monday. All three infected people live in Cuyahoga County. Gov. Mike DeWine recommended that Ohioans avoid public gatherings, such as parades, sporting events and political rallies.

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Sanders will face Biden in Ohio's primary March 17.

Sanders and Biden are close in the delegate race coming out of Super Tuesday, though the former vice president gained momentum after his campaign faltered in early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.

Both men have been courting endorsements. Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson endorsed Sanders over the weekend, while former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris threw her support to Biden.

The two candidates have been sparring with each other of late, largely over their ability to beat President Donald Trump and their records on protecting the social safety net. Biden argues that Sanders is too unlikable to secure a November election, while Sanders counters that Biden's repeated attempts to cut Social Security will hurt him with key demographics in the general election.