President Joe Biden emerged victorious in the South Carolina primary on February 3, marking his first official win in his campaign for a second term, the Associated Press reported. At the time the race was called, Biden was leading statewide with approximately 97% of the vote, almost double the 49% he garnered in the 2020 primary. Nearly an hour after the race was declared, Biden’s vote percentage remained largely unchanged at around 97%.
Biden’s only competitors on the ballot this year, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and self-help author Marianne Williamson, each failed to surpass the 2% mark at the time Biden was declared the winner.
The president won all 46 counties in the primary four years ago, a feat he is currently on track to repeat in Saturday’s contest, according to initial returns. Biden also secured all 55 delegates available in the primary.
In the 2020 contest, Biden’s strongest performances were in counties with majority or near-majority Black populations. Initial results from Saturday showed that pattern continuing, with the president receiving at least 97% in counties such as Dillon, Marion, Sumter, and Williamsburg.
Previous victories
In 2020, Biden prevailed in South Carolina against a highly competitive field that included U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg of Indiana, and billionaire Tom Steyer, who invested mn of dollars into the state and withdrew after his third-place finish. South Carolina was Biden’s first victory that year, after placing fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire, and a distant second in Nevada.
Last month, Biden won the New Hampshire primary as a write-in candidate with a 44-point lead over Phillips, his closest competitor. Traditionally, Iowa and New Hampshire have kicked off the presidential primary calendar, as they did this year for the Republicans. However, the Democratic National Committee rearranged the schedule and moved South Carolina to the coveted first-in-the-nation spot at Biden’s urging.
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