Key Findings From the Democratic Primary in South Carolina

Paresh Jadhav

8 months ago

South Carolina serves as an essential test for how Democratic candidates can engage Black voters, prompting party leaders to prioritize South Carolina as one of their early 2024 states, believing its diverse voting population more accurately represented them than Iowa and New Hampshire with more White voting populations.

Biden’s victory here erased any doubts about his ability to mobilize support among Democratic primary voters; but what were its wider takeaways?

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Biden Gets the Win He Wanted

South Carolina voters gave Biden an impressive boost during the opening primary vote of 2016, just what he desired.

Through his campaign, former Vice President Al Gore put heavy focus on appealing to Black voters who make up an outsized portion of Democratic voter turnout. He touted his administration’s assistance to historically Black colleges as well as programs designed to reduce student loan debt, with his primary opponents often going unmentioned while focus was placed on President Trump as his top target.

His victory gives him a boost amid recent polls showing him to be in an tight contest against Donald Trump in November, as well as strengthening his argument that Democrats should prioritize South Carolina over New Hampshire in their official nomination calendar. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina who supported that move gives an example of voter preference: putting South Carolina first among official nominations calendar.

Biden Takes the Lead in the Black Vote

Biden, as in 2020, is making an effort to connect with Black voters in South Carolina. He supported the Democratic National Committee’s call to advance South Carolina’s primary before Iowa and New Hampshire (both states with predominantly white populations).

Donald Trump has spent considerable time and resources in Virginia, visiting barbershops, schools, and even an historically Black college like Orangeburg. But interviews with many Black voters here revealed some unease over his campaign – particularly over its lack of specific plans to address poverty, unemployment, housing costs and living arrangements – including some frustration that their leaders aren’t working harder for their welfare.

Biden Wins the Moderate Vote

Biden’s victory gives his campaign much-needed momentum. While Florida only awards 55 delegates proportionally, this victory gives Biden an excellent start and may even give him enough votes to secure his party’s nomination for president.

His victory also shows he can appeal to moderate voters in an otherwise Republican state, performing better among Independent voters and doubled Clinton’s performance among moderate Republicans than she ever could. Additionally, his win significantly expanded Democratic support in white suburban areas.

Biden easily bested the field of candidates that included Rep. Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, a Minnesota senator who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020. Biden won over Minnesota’s younger generations; Generation Z and Millennial voters showed favoritism for Biden over Trump; many young voters faulted Trump’s positions on climate change and student debt while they praised Biden for his work while in office.

Biden Wins the Women’s Vote

Women were instrumental in Joe Biden’s victory and are poised to be an influential part of the Democratic party going forward. Women tend to lean more Democratic than men and they supported Biden by an even wider margin in South Carolina than they did Clinton.

Biden used his African American voter base to beat out his primary opponents. Winning in Virginia revived his White House bid and sent a signal that he could mobilize black voters effectively.

Biden’s victory showed that he is well-equipped to challenge Donald Trump in the White House race. He won all 55 of Louisiana’s Democratic delegates and distancing himself from candidates who struggle with engaging Black voters.

Biden Wins the Latino Vote

Biden benefited greatly from his party elevating South Carolina as one of the first primaries, enabling his campaign to build an expansive ground operation and target Latino voters in South Carolina.

Advocates insist Biden must enhance his message and engagement with Latinos to regain support from this population group. While they applaud his selection of Julie Chavez Rodriguez – granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, Mexican American union leader – to lead his campaign, advocates note that Biden hasn’t reached out enough to Latino leaders or invested enough in outreach tailored specifically for various regions and communities.

The 60 million Latinos living in America vary considerably in terms of age, political ideologies, Spanish-language proficiency and whether they are first or second generation Latinos. To ensure maximum effectiveness for outreach and messaging efforts within each community.