Biden wins the South Carolina victory he desired
The president easily wins the Democratic Party's first sanctioned race.
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Joe Biden's victory in South Carolina moves the campaign one step closer to the general election, which is projected to be one of the longest and most costly in American political history. | Alex Brandon/AP
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COLUMBIA, SC— President Joe Biden easily won the first sanctioned presidential primary Saturday night.
Biden handily defeated nominal challengers Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and self-help author Marianne Williamson in a state where he ranked first on the primary calendar and won a critical win during his 2020 campaign.
Biden's victory in South Carolina moves the campaign closer to the general election, which is projected to be one of the longest and most costly in American politics history. The Republican presidential primary in South Carolina will be place on February 24. Former President Donald Trump is the overwhelming favorite in that election.
Biden hoped that South Carolina's vote would alleviate worries about Democratic excitement and, more especially, his position among Black voters.
Shortly after the race was called, he contacted Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), who was addressing supporters at the South Carolina Democratic Party's victory party. Biden, who Clyburn had on loudspeaker along with the microphone he was holding, expressed his gratitude and inquired about turnout.
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It was impossible for the crowd to hear the details of what he said. After that, the Biden campaign issued a statement. It said, "South Carolina voters proved the pundits wrong, gave our campaign new life, and put us on the path to winning the Presidency in 2020." "The people of South Carolina have spoken once more in 2024, and I am confident that you have put us on the right track to win the presidency and render Donald Trump an embarrassment once more."
Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Carolina four times in the previous five weeks as part of the president's campaign, despite the fact that Biden's win was predicted. In an effort to increase participation, the campaign also spent more than $400,000 on advertising.
Ultimately, though, the campaigns appeared to concede that the result was inevitable. On a primary night, Biden was in Southern California, not South Carolina. According to a campaign spokesman, Phillips, who spent a total of $585 on digital advertisements in the state, was on his way from New York to Washington, D.C. on primary night.
With Biden's support, Democrats rearranged the presidential nomination field last year, giving South Carolina its first-ever top spot and giving Black voters more of a platform early in the primary. However, last month, New Hampshire staged its own unofficial Democratic primary, in which Biden's write-in candidacy defeated Philllips and Williamson handily.
While speaking on stage on Saturday night, Clyburn urged the DNC to "not hold the state law in New Hampshire against our Democrats" and to seat the delegates from New Hampshire in spite of the state's unofficial contest.
FILED UNDER: JOE BIDEN, JOE BIDEN 2024, JIM CLYBURN, SOUTH CAROLINA, KAMALA HARRIS, KAMALA HARRIS 2020, SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY, DEAN PHILLIPS, MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, 2024 ELECTIONS
