Joe Biden wins South Carolina primary

Former Vice President Joe Biden notched his first victory of the 2020 presidential primary race Saturday in South Carolina, giving his campaign a sorely needed boost in momentum as he heads into the crucial Super Tuesday contests.

“Thank you, South Carolina!” Biden tweeted shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m., as The Associated Press quickly called the race in his favor. “To all those who have been knocked down, counted out, and left behind — this is your campaign. Together, we will win this nomination and beat Donald Trump.”

He added, “Just days ago, the press and the pundits declared our campaign dead. But after tonight, it’s clear we are very much alive — and we need your help to keep the momentum going,” with a call for donations.

South Carolina delivered Biden his first-ever win in a presidential primary. He exited the 1988 race before voting began and dropped out of the 2008 contest after losing in Iowa.

This cycle, Biden had finished fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire. He rebounded slightly with a second-place finish in Nevada last Saturday, and led the field among black voters there.

South Carolina was long considered Biden’s “firewall” given his support among black voters. The Palmetto State marked the first major test of whether the candidates could appeal to one of the most loyal voting blocs in the Democratic Party.

Biden on Wednesday picked up the influential endorsement of the powerful House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., who holds significant sway among the state’s black voters. Clyburn later told CNN that Biden’s campaign would need to change it up heading into the 14-state Super Tuesday sweep and beyond.

“We will have to sit down and get serious about how we retool this campaign,” Clyburn said. “You’ll see a massive difference in the campaign efforts.”

Biden was one of only two candidates still in South Carolina as the results came in Saturday, along with California billionaire Tom Steyer, who invested significant money and resources into the state.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren began her day with get-out-the-vote events in South Carolina before heading to Little Rock, Ark., and Houston, Texas. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg held a virtual town hall in the Palmetto State before events in Nashville, Tenn., and Raleigh, N.C. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar headed to Portland, Maine. U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was in California. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was not on the ballot in South Carolina, where 54 delegates are up for grabs.

And U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the front-runner coming off of wins in Nevada and New Hampshire and a victory in the popular vote in Iowa, was in Boston making a play for Warren’s home state.

Sanders did not mention South Carolina, but said “the establishment is getting very nervous” about the success of his campaign so far.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/32DQDvL