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Self-help author Marianne Williamson, who is currently making a big push for a second presidential run, has so far won President Biden after defeating Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips in Saturday’s South Carolina Democratic primary. A distant but important rival that looked like he would finish slightly ahead of the most popular candidate.
With 97% of the votes counted, Mr. Williamson received 2.1% of the vote and Mr. Phillips received 1.7%. Although the race was a landslide victory for Biden, with more than 96 percent, it is still the most support Williamson received in a formal Democratic primary. She wrapped up her 2020 campaign a few weeks before the Iowa caucuses.
The fact that Williamson’s second-place finish was so far away was a huge blow to Phillips. His campaign spent about $4.6 million in the final three months of 2023, and he loaned it $4 million of his own money, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Phillips was trying to set very low expectations for his performance at South Carolina.he It was posted on social media on Friday. Biden “should get 95 percent of the vote in South Carolina.” His prediction wasn’t far off.
Phillips appeared to be on track to finish third on Saturday. “It’s never felt so good to clear four digits!” he wrote on social media, referring to the roughly 1,400 votes he had at the time. (He finished with about 2,200.) He added: “Congratulations Mr. President with a good old cheer. See you in Michigan.”
Both Biden challengers have not frequently appeared at campaign events in South Carolina, although Williamson began visiting the state nearly a year ago and Phillips started campaigning in November. This was my first visit since joining.
The Post and Courier reported that at one event last month in Columbia, South Carolina, Phillips’ campaign staff feared there wouldn’t be enough participants to justify the number of chairs they set up. Reported. The 10 people he finally gathered were arranged in a circle, and even fewer people were assigned. “This feels like a séance,” Mr. Phillips said as he entered the room.
He put more effort into campaigning in New Hampshire, hoping for an upset performance that would give him momentum in the race. He received less than 20% of the vote and lost overwhelmingly to Biden, who did not actually participate in the vote.
Still, he beat Williamson by more than 15 points.
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