With a resounding win in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, President Joe Biden marked his first triumph in an path to become the Democratic nominee against Donald Trump.
Biden received 96.2% of the vote, followed by author Marianne Williamson (2.1%) and Rep. Dean Phillips (1.7%). ….
Biden’s decisive win, called almost immediately after polls closed, was expected given his weak opponent. It was an important milestone, setting Biden on course to win the nomination by uniting the party behind him.
In the lead for the nomination is “Biden”
According to polls conducted over the past year, the majority of Democratic voters would rather have a different party standard-bearer in 2024 than Joe Biden.
However, Biden’s resounding win in South Carolina demonstrated that Phillips and Williamson’s candidacies do not pose a significant threat.
Within his party, 81-year-old Biden continues to face questions about his age and his capacity to inspire progressives, young voters, and other key constituencies. However, despite his shortcomings as a candidate, Biden is easily winning the nomination this year because a strong Democratic opponent not materialized yet.
After winning, Biden issued a statement warning of “extreme and dangerous voices at work in the country − led by Donald Trump.”
.Following the former president’s win in the New Hampshire Republican Primary, the Biden campaign had already shifted its focus to a likely rematch with Trump.
Black voters’ significance in elections
It should come as no surprise that Saturday’s voter turnout was far lower than that of the 2020 Democratic primary, which was fiercely competitive and won by Biden.
However, according to Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign’s director of communications, Black voters accounted for roughly 76% of South Carolina’s early vote this year, up from 56% in 2020
Black retired nursing assistant Betty Managault, 82, said she voted for Biden because she thought he was “a godly man.” Although she was certain that Biden would win the primary, she insisted that she still felt compelled to cast a ballot.
She sat at a table selling baskets made of sweet grass and said, “My ancestors, they died for me to get this right to vote.”
Biden challengers
It’s obvious now: Minnesota congressman Phillips and self-help author Williamson don’t threaten Biden, which begs the question of how long they intend to stay in the race.
Biden has disregarded them both, and he has not experienced any repercussions.
After suffering two consecutive crushing defeats, Phillips raised eyebrows among party insiders when he abruptly entered the race in October. This raises the question of whether it’s time for him to concede.
Even though it looks like Phillips will finish third behind Williamson, he stated he is moving forward.