South Carolina Democratic primary: Biden and Harris push for big win in state – live | US elections 2024

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Biden, Harris push for big win in South Carolina

South Carolina’s Democratic primary may be Joe Biden’s to lose, but the state nonetheless has the full attention of the president and his allies.

Biden isn’t in South Carolina today, but visited repeatedly last month. On X (formerly Twitter), he posted a video encouraging people to vote:

The 2020 Democratic primary was far more competitive, and South Carolina was the first state Biden won, putting him on the path to winning that year’s nomination and eventually the presidency. Kamala Harris, who campaigned in the state yesterday, referenced that in her tweet:

In 2020, the people of South Carolina showed up to vote.

You convinced your friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers of the power of their vote.

It is because of that work that @JoeBiden and I are in the White House.

Let’s do it again today. pic.twitter.com/zdFZ3z4cZv

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 3, 2024

South Carolina native and Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison also pushed a pro-voting message alongside a member of a protest group who targeted a segregated lunch counter in the 1960s:

Key events

South Carolina Democrats expected to put Biden on path to renomination with primary vote

Good evening, US politics blog readers. We are convening this evening as South Carolina holds the first Democratic primary of the year, which Joe Biden is expected to win handily, putting him on the road to again receiving the party’s presidential nomination. While he does have challengers, namely Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, there have been no signs that Democrats would prefer either candidate over the president. Biden is, thus, a shoo-in to win South Carolina and the primary at large, but how the Palmetto state votes this evening may give other indications of the dynamics the president faces as he prepares for a likely rematch against Donald Trump in November. Here are some of the things we’ll be looking for as the clock ticks to 7pm ET, when polls close:

How big is Biden’s win? Last month, the president won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary with 64% support. He wasn’t even on the ballot, and his victory was the result of a write-in campaign by his supporters, but the result nonetheless offers a baseline to compare against his expected victory in South Carolina.
Will Black voters turn out for him? Approval polls have shown Biden underwater with the public at large for more than two and a half years, but Democrats are particularly worried about declining support for the president among African Americans, a key constituency. South Carolina’s population is over a quarter Black, and the results could give a hint as to whether that group will vote for him again.
What are voters saying? South Carolina is deep red at the federal level and sure to be won by the Republican candidate in November. Tonight’s primary nonetheless offers the opportunity to hear from Democratic voters about what’s on their minds as they mull the prospect of a second Biden term.

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