Joe Biden
achieved a
resounding victory this Saturday in the
South Carolina Democratic primaries, in an event that marked the beginning of the party's contest for the November elections and that is particularly important to evaluate the level of enthusiasm of the African-American community.
With half of the ballots counted, Biden took victory in South Carolina, obtaining
96.4 percent of the vote
and leaving his two main rivals: self-help book author Marianne Williamson (2%) far behind. ) and Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips (1.6%).
With these results, Biden would take the 55 delegates that South Carolina allocates, although it would still be a small number compared to the almost 2,000 delegates he needs to officially proclaim himself as the Democratic candidate for the November elections, where he
could face again to former President Donald Trump
(2017-2021), favorite to be the Republican candidate.
“In 2020, it was South Carolina voters who proved the experts wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and put us on a path to winning the presidency,” Biden said in a statement.
Furthermore, he indicated: “Now, in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that they have put us on the path to winning the presidency again and
making Donald Trump lose again
.”
A person casts their vote in the Democratic Party presidential primary election at a center in West Columbia, South Carolina.
Photo: Allison Joyce / AFP
South Carolina, where Biden has long maintained deep relationships with supporters and donors, also played a pivotal role in his 2020 campaign, where a big victory helped revive a weakened effort in other early voting states and propelled him into the race. nomination.
Both the current US president and Vice President Kamala Harris have constantly thanked the state's Democrats for their support.
A week ago, Biden told attendees at a state party fundraiser that they were “the reason” he is president.
Despite the Democratic Party's investment in South Carolina, this state is not in play in the November elections, as it is considered a conservative bastion that has not voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1976, with Jimmy Carter (1977- 1981).
The one in the state located in the southeast of the North American country was
the first appointment of the Democratic contest
because last year, at Biden's initiative, the party changed the calendar of the primaries, snatching from Iowa and New Hampshire the first positions they had occupied since 1972 , and granting that honor to the southern state.
This modification had two objectives: to reaffirm Biden's loyalty to the state that revived his candidacy in 2020 after poor results in Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as to include more diverse voices in the primary process, such as those of the African-American community, which is key in Carolina. of the South, and the Hispanic, who will be the protagonist in the Nevada primaries on Tuesday.
The Republican primary, where Trump will compete against former US ambassador to the UN and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, is scheduled for February 24.
With information from EFE and AP.
IS