Former Vice President Joe Biden took a commanding lead in the Democratic primaries this weekend, earning nearly half of South Carolina’s votes, according to the AP.
“We are very much alive,” Biden said in a post-election rally. “For all of you who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind—this is your campaign.”
Biden had been struggling to gain traction in the primaries. With a lack of funding and staffers, the 77-year-old candidate limped through Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada’s votes. But South Carolina’s win surges him forward and earned him an endorsement from former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.
The black vote carried Biden largely to victory. He won 63 percent of their votes. Older voters, women, moderates, conservatives, and regular churchgoers also cast a vote for him.
AP VoteCast polled several South Carolina voters and found that 45 percent of them want to “return to the politics of the past.” And half of African American voters hope a Democratic president would model the Obama presidency.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders took second place in the state with 19 percent of voters and 14 percent of African American voters.
“That will not be the only defeat,” Sanders said while campaigning in Virginia. “A lot of states in this country. Nobody wins them all. Now we enter Super Tuesday.”
The defeat, however, marked the end for two candidates. Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer and openly gay former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg threw in the towel after disappointing losses.
Addressing supporters in South Carolina, Steyer pledged to continue helping his country, according to ABC News: “I said if I didn’t see a path to winning, that I’d suspend my campaign. And honestly, I can’t see a path where I can win the presidency. So am I going to continue to work on every single one of these issues? Yes, of course, I am, because I’ve never stopped.”
Steyer spent over $150 million on television advertisements in the hope of raising his profile in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. He faced criticism while campaigning for the amount of money spent while other candidates needed to raise funds.
Buttigieg also stopped his campaign after Sunday’s loss, as reported by ABC. “At this point in the race, the best way to keep faith with those goals and ideals is to step aside and help bring our party and our country together…I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January.”
The 38-year-old politician surprised critics with his rise in the polls, making an impressive showing in Iowa. But the tide wasn’t swift enough and black voters only gave him 2 percent of their vote in South Carolina.
Super Tuesday will prove to be the big test for Biden with over 1,600 delegates up for grabs.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Scott Olson/Staff
Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine. She blogs at mikaelamathews.com.
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