The state officially kicked off the 2024 Democratic nominating contest.
Topline
President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary in South Carolina, a state that carried his path to the nomination in the 2020 presidential election—as his campaign hopes Saturday’s victory will re-energize Black voters who have strayed from the president, contributing to his sliding approval rating.Key Facts
The Associated Press called the race for Biden at 7:23 p.m.—just 23 minutes after the polls closed Saturday—with Biden having more than 95% support.
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and author Marianne Williamson each had less than 2% of the vote.
Biden was widely expected to win the South Carolina primary and is the overwhelming favorite to be the Democratic nominee.
South Carolina kicked off the Democratic nominating contest after the Democratic National Committee moved the state ahead of New Hampshire and Iowa on the official primary calendar—a symbolic reward to its Democratic voters who delivered Biden a resounding victory in the state in the 2020 presidential nomination, when all 46 counties voted for him.
South Carolina, where early voting kicked off Jan. 22, will award 55 delegates of the 1,991 needed to clinch the Democratic nomination. Crucial Quote
“The truth is I wouldn’t be here without the Democratic voters of South Carolina, and that’s a fact,” Biden told an audience at an event in Columbia, South Carolina last month.
