Columbia, SC – President Joe Biden secured victory in the Democratic primary in South Carolina, a state pivotal to his path to the nomination during the 2020 presidential election. Saturday’s win is seen by his campaign as a potential means to re-engage Black voters, whose support has wavered, contributing to the president’s declining approval ratings. Representative Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and author Marianne Williamson each garnered less than 2% of the vote.
Biden’s triumph in the South Carolina primary was widely anticipated, and he remains the dominant favorite to become the Democratic nominee. The state holds significance as it commenced the Democratic nominating contest after the Democratic National Committee moved it ahead of New Hampshire and Iowa on the official primary calendar. This move was a symbolic acknowledgment of the state’s Democratic voters, who decisively supported Biden in the 2020 presidential nomination, with all 46 counties backing him.
Early voting in South Carolina began on January 22, with the state set to allocate 55 delegates out of the 1,991 required to secure the Democratic nomination.
