U.S. President Joe Biden reacts as he attends the opening of the Biden for President marketing campaign workplace in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., February 3, 2024.
Joshua Roberts | Reuters
President Joe Biden received a landslide victory in South Carolina’s Democratic main Saturday, the place voters despatched a transparent message that they’re prepared for Biden to pivot to the November election.
As of 12:00 a.m. ET, Sunday, Biden had received 96.2% of ballots solid, with 97% of the whole votes tallied.
The opposite two Democrats on the poll, Home Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., and self-help writer and 2020 Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson every received round 2% of ballots.
The win injects contemporary momentum into Biden’s reelection marketing campaign, and it presents a compelling rebuttal to the narrative that Democratic voters are ambivalent — or worse — about their occasion’s commonplace bearer.
“In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and set us on the path to winning the Presidency,” Biden mentioned in an announcement following Saturday’s outcomes.
“Now in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the Presidency again — and making Donald Trump a loser — again.”
Biden will likely be awarded all 55 of the state’s Democratic delegates, NBC Information initiatives, as neither Williamson nor Phillips broke the 15% threshold for being awarded any delegates.
Biden’s overwhelming margin of victory left no query about who Democratic voters wish to be on the poll in November.
However it got here amid studies of decrease than anticipated turnout, doubtlessly an indication of weakened enthusiasm for Biden amongst Democrats.
In 2020, roughly 16% of the state’s 3.3 million registered voters solid ballots within the Democratic main. On Saturday, that quantity dropped to roughly 4% of voters.
Specifically, polls have proven Biden’s assist lagging amongst Black voters, a core Democratic occasion bloc that was key to his 2020 win.
Black voters account for a majority of the Democratic voters in South Carolina, so his victory there Saturday might assist to ease a few of these issues.
Biden’s marketing campaign has additionally been beneath strain to indicate momentum, an actual problem this yr on condition that Democrats’ official main season kicked off late.
In Iowa, the Democratic occasion determined to not solid any ballots at their caucuses, denying Biden the possibility to win there.
In New Hampshire, Biden’s identify was not on the formal poll, however he received the competition as a write-in candidate with 64% of the vote.
Republicans will vote of their occasion main on Feb. 24, the place former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will try to drag off an upset in her dwelling state, towards former President Donald Trump.
The GOP main is predicted to garner a lot larger turnout and extra consideration than Saturday’s vote.
Not like the Republican battle, the Democratic main has, to this point, been notable for its civility.
“Congratulations, Mr. President, on a good old fashioned whooping,” Phillips wrote on X.