The Sanders effect will touch every race on the 2020 ballot

On Monday, multiple strategists expressed concern that Sanders as a nominee would all but guarantee defeat for Democrats against President Donald Trump, as well as in tough congressional races.

But as CNN's Michael Warren, Lauren Fox and Fredreka Schouten report, donors and party strategists are fretting that the compressed Super Tuesday calendar means there is very little time to propel any one of the moderate, non-Sanders Democrats left in the race to victory.

"It's not just that he'd lose the presidency, it's that he'd put our candidates at risk," said Rep. Scott Peters of California, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of moderate House Democrats, who is also a Mike Bloomberg supporter.

Not freaking out: "I'm not one who subscribes to the collective freak-out that some people seem to be experiencing right now," said Sen. Chris van Hollen of Maryland on CNN. "My biggest concern is that, you know, people not -- we need to come together as soon as we have a viable nominee."

Something to chew on: So far, Sanders hasn't faced any sort of sustained exploration of his record and viewpoint from his Democratic rivals -- a break Trump and the Republicans will not afford the senator from Vermont if he is the nominee.

This, by the way, is the most consequential week of the primary. Everything hits warp speed right now. Listen to CNN's Daily DC podcast.

How Sanders is winning this time

A Marist poll out Monday shows Sanders within striking distance of Joe Biden in South Carolina, the latest evidence that the Sanders momentum is broad and real.

CNN's Harry Enten compares election results and polling so far to explain why Sanders is doing so much better in this year's primary than he did four years ago.

In 2016, Sanders' base of support was white voters. In fact, he basically fought Hillary Clinton to a draw among white voters. The reason he lost was because Clinton beat him among black and Hispanic voters, who make up more than one-third of the Democratic Party.

This year, he's doing just as well among nonwhite voters. In Nevada, he won 29% of white voters. Compared with 2016, he did 22 points better among Hispanic voters there by earning 51% of their support. Even among black voters, who he lost by over 50 points to Clinton, Sanders picked up 27% support.

Nonwhite voters are key to Democrats. Hispanic voters are, by themselves, about 15% of the voters in a Democratic primary. They make up huge chunks of voters in the delegate-rich Super Tuesday states of California and Texas. It's not surprising that Sanders has taken the lead in both states, with an especially clear advantage in California.

Warren continues to help Sanders

Elizabeth Warren has continued to eviscerate not Bernie Sanders, who on Monday adopted a version of her universal child care proposal, but rather Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire moderate whose rise she sought to shut down at the Democratic debate in Nevada last week.

Warren will not be distracted from Bloomberg: The senator from Massachusetts turned a question from reporters about whether Sanders is a risky choice to a new attack on Bloomberg.

Chris Cillizza explored what, exactly, Warren is up to.

His two ideas, which are not mutually exclusive:

1) Warren knows she can't win the nomination and is on a mission to destroy Bloomberg.

2) Warren would like to be VP.

Afraid of Warren -- Meanwhile, CNN's Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck obtained audio of Bloomberg in 2016 saying Warren's progressive agenda was "scary" and promising to defend banks (a joke, his campaign now says).

The Cuba thing

Sanders has made clear in recent weeks he does not care about torching Democratic orthodoxy on a range of issues. In an appearance on "60 Minutes" with CNN's Anderson Cooper, he both condemned Fidel Castro for his authoritarian tendencies and expressed admiration for Cuba's literacy programs.

On Twitter and in statements, other Democrats criticized Sanders:

Bloomberg: "Fidel Castro left a dark legacy of forced labor camps, religious repression, widespread poverty, firing squads, and the murder of thousands of his own people. But sure, Bernie, let's talk about his literacy program."

Biden: "Make no mistake: Bernie Sanders' comments on Fidel Castro are a part of a larger pattern throughout his life to embrace autocratic leaders and governments across the globe. He seems to have found more inspiration in the Soviets, Sandinistas, Chavistas, and Castro than in America."

Pete Buttigieg: "After four years of looking on in horror as Trump cozied up to dictators, we need a president who will be extremely clear in standing against regimes that violate human rights abroad. We can't risk nominating someone who doesn't recognize this."

Where is Trump and what is he doing?

The US President is in India, where he's being served vegetarian meals, tweeting at 3 a.m. local time and set to appear before hundreds of thousands of Indians.

Some coverage of India:

Trump lands in India ready to feel the loveModi models a tight grip on power as Trump visits IndiaTrumps cherish an iconic moment -- touring the Taj Mahal

Some coverage of the ongoing purge of staffers in the administration:

Report: White House created list of disloyal officialsTrump wants fewer people on his team and more loyalists

And, perhaps most importantly, some coverage of how the administration is dealing with the coronavirus:

Trump administration cancels plan to bring coronavirus patients to Alabama city following pushback from local officials

What are we doing here?

The American system of government has been challenged to deal with a singular President and a divided country that will decide whether he should get another four years in the White House.

Stay tuned to this newsletter as we keep watch over the Trump administration, the 2020 presidential campaign and other issues of critical interest.