Hottest of takes, it's actually better for Sanders' overall delegate strategy that Warren stays in the race as long as possible and keeps racking up delegate wins.
Sanders' clearest path to the nomination, IMO, is a Sanders-Warren team-up at a brokered convention. Warren dropping out doesn't automatically transfer all of her supporters to Camp Bernie, and even if it did, her exiting the race would be the cue for Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg (etc.) to do the same, whose supporters would likely primarily benefit Biden in a way that Warren's wouldn't for Sanders. Sanders would probably benefit a little from Warren dropping out, but her supporters' second choices are pretty close to evenly mixed between the other candidates.
Just musing I guess. Also worth pointing out that Biden having the plurality lead in delegates and being overtaken by the #2 and 3 at a brokered convention would be utterly disastrous for party unity, as it would have been in 2016 if say, the superdelegates overwhelmingly decided to side with Sanders to deny Clinton the nomination. I would have to imagine in such an instance the superdelegates would swoop in and save Biden's candidacy, and likewise, if Sanders led in pledged delegates and was overruled by the supers to give us nominee Biden anyway (even if all's fair and legal per the DNC bylaws), that would of course be just as bad.
I'm also crazy and think Warren will win the Iowa caucus tonight. We shall see!
