On Saturday, Vice President Biden easily won South Carolina in a primary that featured scant opposition. According to projections by NBC News, Biden will win all 55 of South Carolina’s delegates.
After vaulting South Carolina into first place on the Democratic primary calendar, Joe Biden’s campaign invested heavily in it. Biden visited barbershops and spoke at Black churches before tapping Vice President Kamala Harris as an effective rallying agent.
Voter Turnout
Voters of color dominated South Carolina’s Democratic primary, where Joe Biden easily dispatched two lesser challengers. Early results indicate he has received about 96% of all ballots cast; self-help author Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips each garnering just over 2% each.
The Biden campaign prioritized South Carolina, spending months working to increase turnout in what they saw as an essential stepping stone toward beating President Trump in the general election. Their spending went up and staffers arrived there before most other states even kicked off their primary elections.
The campaign made clear it would focus on “a return to racial equity” and sought to rally Black voters who helped propel Biden to an unexpected win in Delaware four years earlier when his candidacy seemed dead. Biden himself made two trips into Delaware – visiting a Black barber shop as well as attending dinner for Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority chapter there.
Electoral College
Four years ago, South Carolina voters breathed new life into Joe Biden’s campaign after placing fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire. He is once again expected to do well this time around; with 55 delegates on offer at stake in South Carolina’s primary he stands a good chance at victory.
But the primary was far from free of controversy. The national party chose to move up New Mexico’s contest this year due to its more diverse population compared to Iowa and New Hampshire, both of which are predominantly white states. New Hampshire objected, so its voters held their own primary last month which wasn’t sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee and won’t count towards nomination processes.
Biden is garnering his strongest support in counties with either majority or near-majority Black populations, as early numbers show this trend is continuing. He is also seeing strong support among women – both key demographics in his base. Kailyn Wrighten, 22, an undergraduate at South Carolina State University says she feels let down by President Barack Obama’s silence on social justice issues; yet she will vote for Biden because her mother received loan forgiveness due to lobbying by local activists in support of that cause.
South Carolina Black Voters
On Saturday, South Carolina will serve as the first step in selecting the Democratic nominee formally, so Black voters were an essential component for Vice President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to highlight. Their focus included interviews with Democratic-leaning voters at early voting centers as well as community gatherings such as one held at Orangeburg historically black college where Biden and Harris highlighted their support of its community.
Many voters like Saundra Trower of Blythewood expressed hope that Vice President Joe Biden’s administration would work towards eliminating long-standing economic disparities and address longstanding inequities in society, specifically with respect to fentanyl epidemic which is killing Americans at record levels.
Voters also expressed frustration that they haven’t seen sufficient progress under President Trump, fearing another term of his policies and wanting to see him out of office. Mobilizing those voters may prove more challenging for Democrats but will be critical if they want to compete effectively with Republicans in key states.
Delegates
President Biden secured his first formal victory of this election season Saturday by winning the Democratic primary in South Carolina. Delegates for each candidate in South Carolina are allocated proportionally, and Biden is projected to secure 55 out of 56 pledged delegates for his state delegation.
Biden defeated challengers Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, and Marianne Williamson, an author. Voters interviewed during early voting praised Biden for his work advancing civil and human rights, including protecting abortion rights and appointing Black jurists to federal courts.
Biden’s victory in South Carolina gives him a solid footing going into Super Tuesday elections across multiple states, but may face opposition from voters critical of his support for Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas. MPR News relies on donors who make our work possible through contributions; become one today – just click here and learn more!
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