Illinois’ presidential primary date is still two weeks away (early voting is open, however), but Tuesday’s “Super Tuesday” voting day will tell Illinois voters a lot about what to expect when they go to the polls March 14.

Moderates Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg both dropped out of the race ahead of Tuesday, clearing up the democratic picture somewhat, while likely also sending votes Joe Biden’s way, but with 1,357 delegates at stake in 14 states, Tuesday will give us all a much deeper look at this race before March 14.

We at The Daily Eastern News believe it will be imperative for Illinois voters to watch Tuesday’s results closely as they will likely greatly influence the way we vote on March 14.

Super Tuesday will give all of us a look at what a full-scale national election might look like for the Democratic Party, and the results of the voting will likely give some candidates extreme boosts in momentum and potentially sink other candidates’ hopes.

Of course, if you are voting Republican in 2020, Super Tuesday will not mean as much to you as President Donald Trump is a sure bet to be the party’s nominee again, but for those voting Democrat, Super Tuesday might as well be the Super Bowl.

Super Tuesday is shaping up to be a big matchup between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden as voters in the party hash it out between moderates and liberals, but in either case, that disparity in voters will give Illinoisans a clue as to which side of the party has the most momentum on March 14.

Super Tuesday will also be huge for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. Warren has not won a delegate since the Iowa caucuses and has struggled to put together much momentum after voting in Nevada, South Carolina and New Hampshire.

Warren and Sanders have been competing for largely the same group of liberal voters, and if Sanders wins big on Tuesday, it could put a real dent in her campaign hopes and maybe lead to her dropping out ahead of March 14.

Although Illinois is not one of the states voting on Super Tuesday, what the other 14 states decide to do will be incredibly important for the Illinois primary.

The Editorial Staff can be reached at 581-2812 or at dennewsdesk@gmail.com.