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It’s Election Day in South Carolina.
The Democratic presidential campaign begins Saturday in the Palmetto State, where voters will choose a candidate in the party’s first officially sanctioned primary for the 2024 election.
President Joe Biden will score an easy victory. He has no serious opposition and his interactions with South Carolina voters are credited with providing momentum to his struggling campaign four years ago.
While the outcome is not in doubt, the primary could provide clues as to where Biden stands with his party’s base. How well he energizes black voters in South Carolina will predict how he fares elsewhere and what more he will have to do to win over his key supporters. .
When is the South Carolina primary?Republican and Democratic election guide.
Preparing to vote: See who’s running for president and compare their positions on important issues with our voter guide
Why is South Carolina going first?
South Carolina will be the first of many primary states in what is expected to be a competitive presidential rematch with former Republican President Donald Trump this November.
South Carolina usually doesn’t go first. The honor of being the nation’s first primary has traditionally gone to New Hampshire.
However, the National Democratic Party has decided to move up the South Carolina primary this year, making it the state’s first official election. One reason for this is that South Carolina has a diverse population. Nearly 93% of New Hampshire’s population is white, while blacks make up nearly 30% of the state’s population.
However, New Hampshire opposed the major calendar changes and scheduled the contest earlier than allowed. The NDP argued that this was against the rules, so Mr. Biden did not appear on the ballot there. It didn’t matter. The New Hampshire Democratic Party ran a write-in campaign on his behalf, and he ultimately won easily in the January 23 primary.
But even though New Hampshire Democrats took the lead, South Carolina is the first officially sanctioned primary in this year’s presidential election.
What will turnout and early voting look like?
South Carolina has approximately 3.3 million registered voters. Voters do not register by party. Turnout in the 2020 Democratic primary was about 16% of registered voters. In the 2016 primary, it was about 13%.
Saturday’s event will be the first presidential primary to be held in the state since new early voting laws were enacted in May 2022. The law allows voters to vote in person without giving a reason until about two weeks before Election Day. In the 2016 Democratic primary, voters had to provide an excuse to vote absentee, but about 14% of them were cast by Election Day. In the 2022 midterm primary elections after the new law went into effect, the turnout before voting day was about 21%.
As of Monday, about 24,000 voters had already cast their votes.
–Michael Collins
more:What is the difference between caucuses and primaries? Here’s how each works.
How did Joe Biden fare in South Carolina in 2020?
When Biden marched through South Carolina four years ago, his campaign was struggling. He finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and fifth in the New Hampshire primary. Before polls closed in New Hampshire, he decided to salvage a planned campaign party and flew to South Carolina, where his team believed it would be a firewall to turn his fortunes around.
That was a wise move.
Biden easily won South Carolina, carrying all 46 counties and winning 61% of the state’s black vote, which was key to his victory. Biden’s victory in South Carolina provides momentum for the Super Tuesday election three days later. He would go on to win the Democratic Party’s nomination and defeat incumbent Trump in the general election next November.
Biden leads other candidates in South Carolina primary
President Joe Biden is aiming for first place in South Carolina, and an Emerson College poll shows the winds are in his favor.
The poll, conducted from January 2nd to January 3rd, found that 69% of Democratic primary voters plan to support Biden, with 5% planning to support Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and 3%. has been found to support Marianne Williamson. 22% of Democratic primary voters are undecided.
“Biden has a strong base of support among South Carolina Democrats, and other options pose no challenge to the president,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of the Emerson College Poll. said. “With 22% still on the sidelines, Biden has an opportunity to start the 2024 primary with a strong showing for the Democratic nominee.”
— Sudiksha Kochi
When is the 2024 Democratic primary?State-by-state guide to election schedules
How is Mr. Biden doing among black voters this time?
Polls this year, including those from USA TODAY, show some Black voters are less excited about Biden’s bid. Some young voters of color are upset that Biden has not called for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war, which has left thousands of Palestinians dead and injured.
A Pew Research Center poll released in mid-January found that nearly half of black voters approved of Biden’s performance, and about the same number disapproved.
Rep. James Clyburn (D.C.), one of Mr. Biden’s key supporters, is tempering his expectations for high turnout among black voters this year. Four years ago, the Democratic field was much more crowded, a global pandemic was occurring, and the country was engulfed in civil unrest.
“The land situation is a little different (now),” said Clyburn, one of the highest-ranking African Americans in Congress.
The Democratic National Committee and Biden’s re-election campaign are working overtime to get Black voters to turn out in the non-competitive primary. Biden has visited the state twice this year. Vice President Kamala Harris has visited the country three times since the beginning of January. First Lady Jill Biden and Deputy Gentleman Doug Emhoff also campaigned there.
more:When are Nevada’s primaries and caucuses held? What you need to know about dual contests.
Who else is running?
Other Democrats on the ballot besides Biden are Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Marianne Williamson, an author and spiritual leader.
In New Hampshire, Mr. Phillips received about 20% of the vote and Mr. Williamson received about 4%. Mr. Williamson was part of a crowded field of 2020 candidates that included Mr. Biden, but dropped out before the first campaign.
Neither poses a serious threat to Biden this year.
South Carolina holds open primary election
South Carolina holds open primaries, where voters do not need to be affiliated with a political party to vote for partisan candidates.
“You may choose either primary, but you may only vote in one,” the South Carolina State Board of Elections says on its website.
Voters must register by January 4 to participate in the Democratic primary. Those who voted during this period will not be able to vote in the Republican election on February 24th.
— Nina Tran, Greenville News.Sudiksha Kochi
What about Donald Trump and Nikki Haley?
Voters closely following the Republican race between Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley may have to wait a little longer.
South Carolina’s Republican primary election will be held on February 24th.
Who can vote in South Carolina?
South Carolina has an open primary system in which registered voters can participate in any party’s primary election. Voters can only participate in one party’s presidential primary, so those who voted Saturday may not be able to vote in the Republican election three weeks later.
How far until the finish line?
As of Saturday, there are 198 days until the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and 276 days until the November general election.
–Michael Collins
Contributed by: Associated Press and Greenville News
2024 election dates you need to know:Joe Biden, Donald Trump and other White House candidates face off
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