The Democrats swing down to the South this time…
The majority of the vote will be from Black ‘s in this state…
It’s an open primary and the Republicans will not have one ….
Joe Biden IS expected to win….
The media will be looking to see by how much of a margin…
The race for second will be between Bernie sanders and Tom Steyer…
The winner of the states Democratic Primary has gone on to be the no nominee every time except for once since 1992…
The Democratic Super Tuesday voting will be 3 days afterwards….
Joe Biden is the candidate in the spotlight this weekend. After disappointing finishes in the first two states and a distant second in Nevada on Saturday, the former vice president is banking on a win in South Carolina to boost his chances against front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders and perhaps begin to edge out other moderate candidates.
Biden himself is expressing confidence, declaring in Tuesday night’s debate: “I will win South Carolina.” Polling suggests he’s right.
Key to the former vice president’s standing is his support among African American supporters. In surveys, Biden has long led his fellow Democrats with this voting bloc, and black voters make up more than half of South Carolina’s electorate.
But Sanders was fairly close behind Biden among African American caucusgoers in Nevada, and the Vermont senator will look for an upset to extend his delegate lead.
Tom Steyer is seeking his first strong result. The billionaire has spent more than $23 million on ads in South Carolina, dwarfing what his rivals have spent, and has been making explicit appeals to black voters in the state.
Also competing in South Carolina are Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. (Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is first on the Democratic ballot a few days later, on Super Tuesday.)….
Polls close at 7:00Pm EST…They opened at 7AM EST…
Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. will still be allowed to vote.
Results HERE….
image…News Break
Rachel “The Doc” Bitecofer
Chart with upwards trendTelescopeBanana
@RachelBitecofer
Fun fact: In 2008 the majority of Democratic voters that showed up to cast ballots in GA were black/African-American- an unprecedented milestone.
In the South only 25% of whites voted for a Democratic senate candidate in 2018 (more than party can explain).
…
John Ray
@johnlray
Looks like the last few polls of SC have the Black share of the Dem primary electorate somewhere between 30% and 60%. Good luck punditing this weekend!
On the ballot: Former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sens. Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and businessman Tom Steyer.
Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Booker, former Rep. John K. Delaney, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and businessman Andrew Yang have withdrawn from the race, but their names will still appear on the ballot.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will not be, however. He is focusing instead on the Super Tuesday contests, coming up on March 3.
Write-in votes are not permitted in South Carolina’s primary.
At stake: 63 delegates. Most will be assigned proportionally by congressional districts to candidates who win at least 15% of the state vote….
Axios…
Dave Wasserman
Amazing how different a Dem primary can look when the party’s core constituency finally starts voting.
polls close in SC IN 5 min…
CBS NEWS…
Almost half of South Carolina Democratic primary voters say the endorsement of @WhipClyburn was an important factor in their vote today. cbsnews.com/live-updates/s…
AP Politics
AP VoteCast survey finds that nostalgia for the Obama presidency is more important to South Carolina primary voters than choosing a candidate who will enact fundamental change. #Election2020
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is not a U.S. Senator (Hawaii’s Senators are Mazie Hironoe & Brian Schatz); she represents Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives (Ed Case represents the other one.)
When this horse race began, only one female Representative (Gabbard) but no fewer than four female Senators (Warren, Klobuchar, Harris & Gillibrand) entered. The sixth female candidate was Marianne Williamson, a private citizen.
Larry Sabato
@LarrySabato
Worth your minute to read before SC votes come in: “5 facts about black Democrats ahead of the South Carolina primary” (Pew Research Center)
CNN and NBC have declared Biden the winner in SC