President Joe Biden’s second trip to South Carolina this month, just one week before the Democratic presidential primary, aimed to create momentum among Black voters in a state that rescued his 2020 campaign.
“You’re the reason I am president. “You are the reason Kamala Harris is a storied vice president, and you are the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president,” he stated Saturday night at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia during a fundraiser for the state Democratic party. “You are the reason Donald Trump is a loser, and you’re the reason we’re going to win and beat him again.”
The audience rose to its feet, waving red, white, and blue Biden/Harris signs and yelling, “Four more years!” “Four more years!”
“Today, Black small businesses are starting up at the fastest rate in 30 years,” he remarked, noting that Black unemployment was at its lowest point in American history.
The Palmetto state’s new status as the Democratic Party’s first formal primary on Feb. 3, which defies 50 years of tradition, ensures that voters of color have a significant say in selecting the nominee much earlier in the process.
“You cannot be the Democratic nominee and win a general election unless you have overwhelming support from voters of color – and that includes Black, Brown, and Asian American & Pacific Islander voters,” Biden wrote to the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee in 2022.
A series of recent polls have shown that Biden’s support among voters of color has declined before 2020. According to a recent Roper Center study, Black voters’ support has dropped significantly, from 87% in 2020 to 63% today.
Attention to racial diversity has never been more vital to the Democratic Party. According to a 2020 Pew survey, four out of every ten Democratic registered voters are now nonwhite (black, Hispanic, Asian, and other nonwhite racial groups), compared to 17% of Republicans.
Hours before the event, people began assembling at the fairgrounds. Inside, an American flag hung high on a wall. White cups were placed on the table, boasting the state’s new status.
“South Carolina Democrats Pick Winners,” it stated. “First in the nation. Democratic presidential primary.”
In the days leading up to Saturday’s event, numerous prominent Black Democratic politicians, like House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, and Rep. James Clyburn, D-South Carolina, stumped for the Biden/Harris campaign. Clyburn is credited with helping Biden win South Carolina in 2020 and reviving his flagging campaign.
“I feel good about the campaign,” Clyburn told USA Today Friday, adding that the campaign will continue to highlight successes that appeal to voters, such as initiatives to cut student debt.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who is running against Biden but was defeated by a write-in campaign for Biden in the New Hampshire Democratic primary on Tuesday, also spoke at the gathering.
“I’m here today because I refuse to stand down, sit down, be quiet, or stay in line while Donald Trump eases his way back into the White House.” “I’m here because I want to win in November,” he explained. “So my invitation to President Biden is to pass the torch to a new generation ready to take the stage, ready to take that man on and ready to win.”
Elaine Reed of Darlington, South Carolina, said she was pleased to see Biden visit Emanuel AME Church in Charleston earlier this month and return on Saturday.
“I said, ‘Hallelujah,’ Reed commented on Biden’s visit to the historic church where nine Black churchgoers were killed by a white assailant in 2015. “I am saying the same thing this time. He’s attempting to make it happen.
Reed and other South Carolinians said it is critical that Black voters turn out in large numbers on February 3 to support Biden’s campaign as it continues forward.
“This election is extremely significant. “It does threaten democracy,” she stated. “We don’t hear enough about how bad Trump is.”
Reed, 77, stated that while the campaign should focus on persuading young people to vote, it should not overlook elderly Black voters.
“You have to show up at bingo games. You must show up at senior centers. “You’ve got to show up at churches,” Reed said, adding that it’s common for seniors to encourage others to vote. “We are the ones they look to.”
Meanwhile, other local activists were knocking on doors and making phone calls asking people to vote in the Feb. 3 primary.
“We have to do everything we can,” said Dorothy Jenkins, head of the NAACP’s Charleston chapter. “Now is a critical time.”
Jenkins stated that Biden’s recent visits to the state, as well as Harris’ visit on Martin Luther King Day, have been recognized.
“They’re doing their best, no doubt about it,” she stated.
Not everyone at the event backed Biden’s campaign. Andrew Yang, a 2020 presidential contender who now backs Phillips, told reporters. “If the goal is for the insiders to avoid ruffling any of their own feathers, then obviously they should just carry on with their coronation of Joe Biden,” he said. “But if the goal is to actually defeat Donald Trump in the fall, the Democratic Party owes the country a nominee who can win.”
Democrats ranked South Carolina first in the nation, anticipating a competitive election, he added.
“Instead, it just became the Joe Biden cakewalk,” said Yang, who attended the South Carolina event alongside Phillips. “That isn’t good for the party.” That is not helpful for the country.”