Check back for updates. Polling stations are now closed and former Vice President Joe Biden has been declared the winner in South Carolina.
Former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner immediately after the polling stations in Palmetto State closed. The cable and television networks called the race based on exit survey data, which almost all showed Biden.
Biden’s victory gives a boost to his campaign after disappointing results in the presidential elections in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. In New Hampshire, Biden placed fourth.
South Carolina gave him his first presidential victory – and in one of his previous presidential elections – and gave him a much-needed boost before the important Super Tuesday elections on March 3.
Biden’s victory ends Vermont senator Bernie Sanders’ winning streak in the first three games. Biden had predicted he would win South Carolina, dismissing questions about whether he would give up if he didn’t.
“I’m going to win South Carolina,” he promised during a Democratic debate Wednesday evening. “And I will win with the African American vote.”
He was right on both counts. Biden garnered strong African-American support in the state, helped by the coveted approval of representative James Clyburn.
Biden conducted polls in the Palmetto state of 20 percentage points last fall before ranking fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire.
Biden downplayed these early contests, focusing on more diverse states such as South Carolina, which he said would better assess which Democrat should challenge President Donald Trump.
– Michael Collins
Biden will have a great three-day Tuesday in four states
Strengthened by his victory in South Carolina, Joe Biden has already planned his Super Tuesday.
Due to its limited time, Biden focuses on four states: Alabama, Virginia, Texas and California.
On Sunday, he travels to Selma, Alabama, and Norfolk, Virginia.
Monday brings a trip to Texas, with visits to Houston and Dallas.
Biden plans to spend Super Tuesday himself at sites not yet advertised in California – his most difficult state, while Bernie Sanders is conducting surveys there.
Also expect Biden to do a series of media interviews, starting with the Sunday shows.
– David jackson
Trump says Biden’s victory should end Bloomberg campaign
President Donald Trump wasted no time weighing on the results of Saturday’s Democratic primary in South Carolina.
“Sleepy Joe Biden’s Democratic primary victory in South Carolina should be the end of a Mini Mike Bloomberg campaign joke,” Trump tweeted just minutes after Biden was declared the winner.
Trump mocked Bloomberg’s performance during the Las Vegas democratic debate last week, in which the former mayor of New York was gutted by Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren.
Trump seemed to suggest that Biden had taken advantage of Bloomberg’s shaky performance.
“After the worst debating performance in the history of presidential debates, Mini Mike has now divided his very few voters, taking away a lot!” Said Trump.
– Michael Collins
Former Virginia governor approves Biden
Shortly after the race was called in favor of Biden, former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe approved the former CNN vice president.
“I’m going to approve Joe Biden,” said McAuliffe. “I thought about it long and hard. For me, it’s about beating Donald Trump and for me, it’s a problem of eligibility. Who has the best shot at beating Donald Trump? “
Virginia will be one of 14 states and an American territory to win on Tuesday.
McAuliffe cited healthcare weighing heavily on his decision, saying he wanted a candidate who would protect and benefit from Obamacare. He also explained that Biden had the greatest chance of helping Democrats in the House and Senate races, a key problem that some moderates raised with Senator Bernie Sanders, who led nationally with delegates after the first three contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.
“Joe Biden will be the best person at the top of the rankings,” said McAuliffe.
– Christal Hayes
Polls closed in South Carolina
The South Carolina primaries closed, bringing the state to a crucial stage in choosing its candidate.
The first primary in the South offers 54 Democratic delegates to win – the largest of the four early voting states. And a victory tonight could propel a new front-runner as the race heads for Super Tuesday on March 3, when 14 states and one US territory vote.
Bloomberg is preparing a Sunday evening speech on the coronavirus
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg plans to speak on the coronavirus, posing as someone with experience to reassure and protect the public.
His campaign said on Saturday that Bloomberg will deliver a three-minute message on Sunday evening on CBS and NBC. The registered address is titled “Leadership in Crisis” and will be available at approximately 8:30 pm Eastern Time. The campaign did not say how much Bloomberg is paying for trading time.
In his speech, Bloomberg is expected to discuss his “constant leadership” as mayor of New York in the face of the threat of terrorism, as well as a hurricane, West Nile virus and swine flu.
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump’s update on COVID-19, after the virus first died in the United States. Vice President Mike Pence has announced new travel restrictions and warnings.
Trump has said that 22 people in the United States have been affected by the new coronavirus, and four are deemed to be “very sick” and that additional cases are “likely”.
– Associated press
Biden puts Clyburn to work for him in North Carolina before Super Tuesday
COLUMBIA, SC – Joe Biden’s campaign said on Saturday that rep Jim Blyburn, whose approval of Biden seems to play a major role in today’s South Carolina primary, will also work for him in North Carolina .
Clyburn will fall for former vice president Sunday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, of the states hosting a Super Tuesday primary.
“Earlier this week, MP Clyburn, third Democrat and majority whip in the House, known as the King King of South Carolina, announced his approval of Biden,” the campaign announcement announced.
The announcement came shortly after television networks revealed exit polls showing that approval for Clyburn was a major deal for many Democratic voters in South Carolina.
According to the survey, 24% of voters said Clyburn’s approval was “the most important factor” in their votes – probably Biden’s.
– David jackson
Sanders denounces President Donald Trump in rally
Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Took center stage in Springfield, Virginia, slamming President Donald Trump and promising a united, multigenerational and multiracial coalition against him.
“They say Bernie can’t beat Trump – well, I respectfully disagree,” he said to the applause.
“The only way to beat Trump is a campaign of energy, excitement, a campaign that engages workers in the political process, a campaign that engages young people in the political process – and I believe we are the most strong to do it, “he said.
Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Who endorsed Sanders, warmed up the crowd just before, telling the crowd, “Our campaign is designed to make everyone visible.”
She raised controversy over the online behavior of some Sanders supporters, saying campaign critics, “They say it’s a campaign on the Bernie brothers – so I’m a Bernie brother!”
The rally filled the cavernous St. James complex, a field and a sports center, although other activities took place as usual in the building. You could see people running on treadmills in downtown gymnasiums, and hosting a birthday party for a little girl meant that Hello Kitty’s birthday party placards were being held close up signs of Sanders supporters.
Sanders had just returned from a rally in Boston, Massachusetts, where at least 10,000 people were present.
He was mainly among the supporters here in Fairfax County, where Hillary Clinton won by a wide margin in 2016.
People were lining up outside the door, many wearing hoodies, beanies, and Sanders shirts in 34-degree cold weather. Vendors along the fan line got a good deal from Sanders paraphernalia, including a “Bernie Yoda” shirt, a nod to the popular Star Wars character “The Mandalorian”.
Madhav Acharya, a 59-year-old computer scientist from Luton, Virginia, told USA TODAY that he had so far supported Sanders in elementary school and was there to hear from the candidate about his policies. For him, the biggest issues were health care and education, and Sanders was the only one who promised the best plans for “no tuition” education and lower medical costs.
Eugene Park, a 28-year-old resident doctor from Falls Church, Virginia, said he was “just there for enthusiasm”, having already decided to support Sanders.
Some other voters were curious about the candidate.
Susan Sawyer, a 60-year-old federal employee from Alexandria, Virginia, who currently supports Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Said she was there to “observe the event”. She didn’t like Sanders, she said, because “I don’t support socialism,” which she said meant policies like Sanders for “free health care and education.”
Sawyer had voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 out of concern about Hillary Clinton, but now thought Trump was “too divisive.”
She did not expect to support Sanders and rather hoped for a negotiated agreement.
Polls show a tight race in Virginia, one of the most populous states to compete in Super Tuesday. The state has promised 99 delegates, more than double the number in the country’s first nation, Iowa.
–Nicholas Wu
Almost half of Democratic primary voters say Clyburn’s approval was important
Almost half, 47%, of South Carolina’s Democratic primary voters said approval by Representative James Clyburn, D-S.C., was an important factor in their vote on Saturday. In addition, 24% of them said it was the most important factor in their decision.
Clyburn, the majority whip in the Democrat-led House, approved former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Clyburn said he thought Biden was the best bet for South Carolina and the nation, especially for African Americans. Clyburn said the prospect of a second term for President Donald Trump makes him “fearful” for the future.
Clyburn told CNN on Saturday that now he is “all in” for Biden, he “is not going to sit idly by and watch people mismanage this campaign”, reiterating the need to “reorganize” the campaign to go ‘before.
Biden, who struggled in the early primary and caucus states, turns to South Carolina to relaunch his campaign.
Clyburn is a living legend in South Carolina politics and has an unrivaled network in the state, especially among African American voters.
-Savannah Behrmann
Voters say top priority is to defeat Trump
Voters at a polling station in a North Charleston church said their top priority was to defeat Trump in November, but they argued that different Democratic challengers had the best chance of doing so.
Carolina Lane, 79, a retired teacher from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, who distributed Democratic flyers, said Biden’s experience made him the best bet among the candidates. “We have to find people who can sit with world leaders from the start,” she said.
Helon Everett, 54, a computer scientist from North Charleston who voted at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church, said she was with Biden because he is an experienced moderate who can appeal to the center of the country – something that a Bernie Sanders couldn’t do.
“This should be a referendum on Trump,” said Everett. “And there should be a referendum on Trump and not a referendum on socialism.”
Primary results in South Carolina:Follow live South Carolina Democratic primary results
What you need to know about Super Tuesday: Why is it so important? What is a delegate? And what happens during a negotiated agreement?
Sanders’ supporters, meanwhile, said that Biden represented the status quo and that voters did not want that.
“I guess I just wanted something different,” said Nicole Gomillion, 35, a computer scientist from North Charleston, who said that young people in particular would respond to Sanders’ messages about eliminating student debt and l expansion of health care.
Democrats in North Charleston who said they voted for Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren and Steyer said similar things, describing their candidates as agents of change, which is necessary for the party and the country. They also said they would vote for the candidacy of all Democrats so that they could accomplish their first task: defeating Trump.
“If my dog was the candidate, I would vote for her,” said Jessica Critcher, 31, a Warren supporter who described herself as an “ax throwing instructor” at a local bar.
– David Jackson
Biden Calls Trump’s Coronavirus Language “Dangerous”
At a political rally Friday night in North Charleston, Trump described the coronavirus epidemic as the “new hoax” for Democrats, suggesting that they were neglecting his administration’s efforts to fight the virus.
Biden called Trump’s language “absolutely dangerous” on Saturday during a visit to a polling station in Greenville.
“Everything is around him,” said Biden. “I know he’s a stable genius, but what he says is ridiculous.”
– John Fritze, David Jackson and the Associated Press
Sanders campaign says 13,000 people attended Boston rally
BOSTON – Six kilometers from Elizabeth Warren’s Cambridge home, more than 10,000 people traveled in freezing temperatures on Saturday for an outdoor gathering of Bernie Sanders in Boston Common, three days before the 91 Massachusetts delegates were won. Super Tuesday.
With former vice president Joe Biden the favorite to win Saturday’s primary in South Carolina, Sanders has turned to Super Tuesday, where he has the opportunity to gain a significant lead over all delegates. He was in Springfield, Massachusetts on Friday evening and will be in Virginia on Saturday evening before traveling to Los Angeles on Sunday.
“As some of you may know, the establishment is getting very nervous about our campaign,” said Sanders, an independent US senator from Vermont, taking the stage after musician Béla Fleck warmed up the crowd. with the banjo. “And tonight they’re going to turn on the television and find out that 10,000 people have been to the Boston Common, and they’re going to get even more nervous.”
The Sanders campaign later declared that more than 13,000 people were present.
In Massachusetts, Sanders will fight Warren, a US state senator, and delegates who once seemed unlikely given his advantage over the home state. But Sanders, the Democratic national leader, won first place in recent Massachusetts polls, surpassing Warren by 25% to 17% in a survey released Friday by WBUR.
– Joey Garrison
Candidates in South Carolina, says Super Tuesday
Early Saturday, Warren welcomed dozens of supporters to Columbia, South Carolina, to launch a voting campaign launch. The rally was Warren’s last stop in the state. She was scheduled to attend events in Arkansas and Texas later today.
Several other candidates also visited the states of Super Tuesday on Saturday. Sanders organized a rally in Massachusetts and was expected in Virginia later. Senator Amy Klobuchar was to be in Virginia, Maine and North Carolina. Buttigieg was heading to North Carolina and Tennessee.
Biden had planned to attend an event in North Carolina before returning to Colombia for a main evening at the Carolina Volleyball Center at the University of South Carolina.
Less than a mile away, Steyer also had to organize a main night party in Colombia. He organized an event in the same city Friday night with performances by rapper Juvenile, singer Yolanda Adams and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Steyer’s video dancing to “Back That Azz Up” at the event went viral on Twitter.
Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who is not on the ballot on Saturday, was scheduled to travel to Virginia and North Carolina. His campaign announced on Saturday that he plans to host more than 2,400 events in 30 states before Super Tuesday.
– Grace Hauck
Opening of polling stations, start of voting
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. in South Carolina. By late morning, voters were arriving regularly throughout the state, with officials expecting voting to resume around noon and later in the day.
In the rough and cold gymnasium of a college in Seneca, South Carolina, the four constituencies of the most populous city in the county of Oconee had already received more than 300 votes by 11 am.
Two voters, Connie Sanders and Barbara Eastman, are supporters of Trump but decided to vote because there is no Republican primary this year. Republican groups in the northern state have asked loyal Republicans to vote in the Democratic primary for candidates seen as weak as opposed to Trump.
Bernie Sanders “is more socialist than anything else and I disagree with most of his ideas … he just isn’t my cup of tea,” said Connie Sanders. She voted for Biden and Eastman for Steyer in order to prevent Bernie Sanders from participating in the general elections.
Meanwhile, in Allendale County, Paige Williams, 37, said she was worried about Trump’s education and character, but her most pressing concern was health care in rural county. of Allendale where the hospital is small and access to all medical services is limited and worsening.
Access to health care in a county without public transportation is a critical issue for residents, said Gwen Walker, an investigator at the Allendale Community Center.
It is the most democratic county in the state, but also the smallest and one of the poorest with a median income of $ 23,300, according to census data. It also has the highest black population in the state with 83% black or African American and 15% white, according to census data.
– Elizabeth LaFleur and Donna Isbell Walker, The Greenville News