Biden aims for big victory as voters head to the polls in South Carolina primary

The incumbent’s campaign says the success is a springboard for the strength of its campaign in the state going forward, with some polls showing him trailing former President Donald Trump in a possible general election showdown. He hopes to dispel any doubts within the party about the move. Saturday’s vote will also be a measure of Mr. Biden’s standing among black voters, who, according to exit polls, helped him win and won the state’s Democratic primary four years ago. This accounted for 56% of the participants.

In an effort to counter the president’s declining approval ratings among some black voters, the Biden campaign has emphasized steps his administration has taken to benefit black communities. But law enforcement officials say concerns over the fight to overhaul police law and protect voting rights remain obstacles.

In recent weeks, Mr. Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Harris have campaigned in the state, touting the administration’s prioritization of affordability, including lowering the price of insulin. He lowered the black unemployment rate to its lowest level in history. And it’s a sharp contrast to President Trump, who they have argued threatens Social Security and health care with the Affordable Care Act.

Biden told an audience at his first national dinner in South Carolina last Saturday that the state’s voters had an advantage as the first state awarded to Democratic delegates to “finish what we started.” He said he was in a position.

“The truth is, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the Democratic voters of South Carolina. That’s a fact,” he said, to applause from the mostly black audience. “So, I would like to start with a very simple message: From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Two prominent candidates, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and self-help author Marianne Williamson, are challenging the incumbent, in part because they are better positioned to take on Trump than Biden. claims to be in place, but rivals have yet to achieve victory. Biden’s solid support for the Democratic Party will be damaged. Democrats are looking for alternatives in states where Mr. Biden has the support of longtime Democratic leaders such as Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina and Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison. It seems unlikely that most of them will be found. Phillips acknowledged he doesn’t expect to win and said he plans to focus on Michigan, an upcoming primary state where Arab and college-age communities have expressed concerns about Biden. Ta.

“For those of you wondering why a white Jewish kid from the frozen tundra of Minnesota would show up in a state where 95 percent of you, including most of you in this room, would vote for Joe Biden? There may be some,” Phillips said. Biden addressed the same audience last Saturday. “I’m here to tell you we’re here to win.”

The audience’s lukewarm reaction to Mr. Phillips – who at one point asked unseated audience members to pay attention during his speech – reflected his struggle to gain support in his challenge to Mr. Biden. . Over the past week, Phillips has traveled to California and Texas to raise money and traveled to Washington for official business, said campaign senior adviser Jeff Weaver, who has called South Carolina “Biden country.” It is said that he stayed there.

Democrats close to Biden pointed to the president’s victory in New Hampshire’s unofficial primary on January 23, even though he did not vote or campaign in the state. Despite this, he won about 64% of the vote in the state, far ahead of Mr. Phillips, who had spent months campaigning. In the Granite State he received less than 20 percent. (The Democratic National Committee announced it would not call New Hampshire delegates to its convention because New Hampshire ignored the party’s new nomination schedule that prioritized South Carolina.) He told the Post he was focused on Biden winning by a large margin. .

“I hope to get at least 69 to 70 percent in South Carolina and beat the numbers I got when my name wasn’t on the ballot,” Clyburn said of his New Hampshire victory.

Biden visited the state for the second weekend in a row, speaking at black churches including Mother Emanuel AME, a historic black church in Charleston where a white supremacist killed nine people. On Friday, Harris, who has been to South Carolina for the third time since the start of the year, told students at South Carolina State University that Republicans are obstructing her administration, and that she and Biden are calling for further student debt relief and gender equality. He pledged to continue working towards the protection of reproductive rights. It does not represent the interests of black college students.

“Do we want to live in a country of freedom, liberty and the rule of law?” she asked. “Or is it a land of anarchy, fear and hatred?”

On Saturday, Mr. Biden will head to Los Angeles for a campaign event with Black entertainment executives, while Mr. Phillips will visit Washington and New York.

The state’s Democratic Party is hosting phonebanking and get-out-the-vote events to remind voters that participating in the primary sends a signal that they deserve and are committed to the nation’s first position. South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Cristale Spain said she doesn’t want voters to feel like it’s a given and they don’t have to vote.

The Spanish representative said, “It’s a big deal for us to be number one.” “And we’ve taken that very seriously. We’ve gone above and beyond to make sure voters understand what’s at stake in this election. .”

Voters can choose which party to participate in the primary in South Carolina, with the Republican contest scheduled for later this month. Some Democratic voters said they were considering voting for Republican former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is far behind President Trump.

Some Democratic voters told the Post they pointed to how Biden won in 2020 and ultimately felt Biden offered the best chance to defeat Trump.

When Charleston voter Rose Marie Holman, 76, heard Phillips speak at a Democratic Party event in November, she nodded in agreement with Phillips, who says the party needs new faces. But Holman ultimately voted early for Biden because she thought he had the best chance of protecting her biggest concern: democracy. .

“Right now I’m just going to stick to where I feel comfortable,” she said.

Pastor Thaddeus Smith, who plans to vote for Biden, has heard from other young people that they want Biden to do more to extend student loan relief, lower housing costs, advance the Gaza ceasefire and legalize marijuana. said. But Smith told them that neither Trump nor Haley were any better.

“I encourage people to vote for the Biden administration because the alternative is more important than not having him elected to a second term,” Smith said.

Michael Scherer, Tyler Pager, Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Toluse Olorunnipa contributed to this report.