Columbia, South Carolina – President Biden isn’t too worried about winning Saturday’s Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina.
He is expected to win the contest in a landslide.
South Carolina, where Black voters play a big role in Democratic politics, has topped the party’s official presidential nominating calendar for the first time, thanks in large part to Biden.
“This primary is contested, but it’s not competitive,” state Democratic Party Chair Cristale Spain told Fox News on the eve of the election.
But Biden has a bigger mission than just winning the Palmetto State primary.
Concerns are voiced over lack of enthusiasm among black voters for Biden’s re-election
President Joe Biden (right) greets a seated patron with Landry Phillips (from left), owner of the Legal Lounge barbershop and spa, on Saturday, January 27, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. Chyna Phillips looks on. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
The president is aiming to solidify support among black voters in South Carolina and across the country. The voters who first propelled Biden to the Democratic nomination and ultimately to the White House four years ago appear to be less energized in 2024.
The president’s approval ratings among black voters, a key part of the Democratic Party’s base, have declined over the past three years, a major concern for his chances of re-election.
And while black voters overwhelmingly voted for Democratic candidates in the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans gained more votes.
Haley says her goal is to ‘close the gap’ with Trump in South Carolina Republican primary
Former President Donald Trump, the leading front-runner for this year’s Republican nomination, is targeting black and Hispanic voters.
President Trump frequently cites support from black celebrities as a sign of his support in the black community.
Republican Sen. Tim Scott, right, from South Carolina speaks while standing next to former President Donald Trump during a campaign event in Concord, New Hampshire, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a former 2024 Republican White House candidate and the only Black Republican in the Senate who endorsed Trump last month, has become the former president’s top surrogate.
“Have you seen the polling numbers for African Americans and Hispanic Americans? But I’m not that surprised because I see it and I feel it,” President Trump said. He made the claim while campaigning in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s presidential primary.
President Trump has suggested there is “much more enthusiasm” for him among minority voters, but there is little polling evidence to back up his claim.
But even a slight shift in voters from Biden to Trump, or dissatisfied with the lack of progress on key issues, could cause some Black voters to sit out the 2024 election in Georgia. It could make a difference in key battleground states like , Michigan and Pennsylvania. .
Black voters led Biden to a landslide victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary four years ago, igniting the 2020 campaign.
Campaigning in South Carolina last weekend, the president thanked the mostly black audience at a Democratic rally in the state for helping him win the White House, saying, “Donald Trump is a loser.” It’s your fault for a reason,” he added.
President Joe Biden speaks at the first-in-the-nation gala held by the South Carolina Democratic Party at the State Fairgrounds in Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday, January 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)
Looking ahead to his expected rematch with Trump in November, Biden told the crowd: “It’s because of you that we can win and defeat Trump again.”
In a sign of the importance of the black vote, the president launched his re-election campaign last month at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where nine black parishioners were killed in a 2015 mass shooting.
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But some Democratic leaders have expressed concern about the president’s overwhelming support among some black voters.
Spain told Fox News the key is getting the message out.
“I believe it’s information, not enthusiasm,” she said.
And Spain predicted support would solidify “if President Biden and the Democratic Party share information about how they’ve been doing things.”
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Friday, February 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Meg Kinard)
Vice President Harris, who made history as America’s first female and black vice president, told a crowd at a voting rally at a historically black college in Orangeburg on the eve of the primary. This is the first primary election in this country, and President Biden and I are counting on you. ”
Harris singled out Trump, saying, “For years, the former president has fanned the flames of hatred, bigotry, racism and xenophobia for his own power and political gain.” .
“The former president told us who he is, so it is our responsibility to recognize the serious threat he poses to our democracy and our freedoms,” she said. warned the crowd.
Fox News’ James Levinson contributed to this report
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