Closing summary
Joe Biden took his first step to securing his party’s presidential nomination by winning South Carolina’s Democratic primary in a landslide. His two main challengers, author Marianne Williamson and Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, appear to have scrounged out single-digit finishes, though the votes are still being counted. The president cheered his victory in a state that was key to his winning the nomination in 2020, while attacking Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Here’s what we learned tonight:
The president reportedly turned down an interview with CBS News that would have been broadcast before the Super Bowl next weekend.
James Clyburn, an influential and long-serving congressman, whipped up supporters at the South Carolina Democratic party’s watch party.
“Let’s win it all,” the president said, after his victory in South Carolina.
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Joe Biden has reportedly turned down an invitation from CBS News for an interview that would be broadcast before the Super Bowl next weekend, passing up an opportunity to appear before Americans during one of the biggest television events of the year.
CNN asked Michael Tyler, the Biden-Harris campaign’s communications director, about the decision. Here’s what he had to say:
CNN's @MarquardtA presses Biden campaign comms director Michael Tyler about Biden declining to do the pre-Super Bowl interview:
— The Recount (@therecount) February 4, 2024
Tyler: “I'm usually still making my chili or putting my beer in the cooler, so I don't know how many eyeballs we're going to lose during pregame.” pic.twitter.com/Wek86ZsREH
'Let's win it all,' Biden says after South Carolina win
Joe Biden just released a message for South Carolina voters after they overwhelmingly chose him in the Democratic primary:
South Carolina, thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/AaPEHljet9
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 4, 2024
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From the Guardian’s George Chidi, here’s what we know so far about Joe Biden’s big win tonight in South Carolina’s Democratic primary:
President Joe Biden has again won the South Carolina presidential primary, his first formal primary win of the election season.
Biden was on track to capture all 48 delegates allocated by South Carolina primary voters today. Another seven delegates are pledged by party leaders and elected officials, such as South Carolina’s lone Democratic congressman, Jim Clyburn. Neither Dean Phillips, the congressman from Minnesota, nor author Marianne Williamson received at least 15% of the statewide vote or 15% of the vote in any congressional district, the threshold necessary to win delegates.
The president sent out a statement shortly after the results were called in his favor, specifically highlighting Black voters, who comprise 26% of state residents and a significant portion of the Democratic voting base in South Carolina.
“As I said four years ago, this campaign is for everyone who has been knocked down, counted out and left behind. That is still true today. With more than 14m new jobs and a record 24 straight months – two years – of the unemployment rate under 4%, including a record low unemployment rate for Black Americans, we are leaving no one behind,” he said.
Biden continued: “When I was elected president, I said the days of the backbone of the Democratic party being at the back of the line were over. That was a promise made and a promise kept. Now, you are first in the nation.
“The stakes in this election could not be higher. There are extreme and dangerous voices at work in the country – led by Donald Trump – who are determined to divide our nation and take us backward. We cannot let that happen. We’ve come a long way these past four years – with America now having the strongest economy in the world and among the lowest inflation of any major economy. Let’s keep pushing forward. Let’s finish what we started – together.”
Joe Biden has given author Marianne Williamson and Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips yet another walloping.
Results currently show the president as having won 97% of the vote in South Carolina. Williamson is in second, with 1.8%, and Phillips in third, with 1.4%. The president appears on course for an overwhelming victory in the first state to vote in the Democratic nomination process, after New Hampshire voters last month gave him the victory in that state’s primary, even though he did not campaign.
Just over 23% of the vote has been counted, so these totals could still change. Follow our results tracker for more:
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Biden attacks Trump after South Carolina primary win
In a statement released by his campaign, Joe Biden cast his victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary as an important step in defeating Donald Trump in the November presidential election:
In 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the Presidency again – and making Donald Trump a loser – again.
When I was elected President, I said the days of the backbone of the Democratic Party being at the back of the line were over. That was a promise made and a promise kept. Now, you are First In The Nation.
The stakes in this election could not be higher. There are extreme and dangerous voices at work in the country – led by Donald Trump – who are determined to divide our nation and take us backward. We cannot let that happen. We’ve come a long way these past four years – with America now having the strongest economy in the world and among the lowest inflation of any major economy. Let’s keep pushing forward. Let’s finish what we started – together.
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At the South Carolina Democratic party’s watch event, James Clyburn, a long-serving and influential congressman from the state, took the stage to whip up the crowd, the Guardian’s David Smith reports from the scene:
Rep James Clyburn: “You have demonstrated once again that boots on the ground mean more than procrastinators and prognosticators.” pic.twitter.com/N1KdtmkjAU
— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) February 4, 2024
Clyburn: “You and I must keep working together to make this country’s greatness accessible and affordable for all its citizens.”
— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) February 4, 2024
And then Joe Biden himself called in:
Clyburn puts Biden on speaker phone. Biden says: “I hope you can hear me. So what happened?” pic.twitter.com/MuVbGKuYlb
— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) February 4, 2024
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Joe Biden wins South Carolina Democratic primary
Joe Biden has won South Carolina’s Democratic primary, the Associated Press confirms.
The president’s win was widely expected, as voters have shown little interest in the other candidates for the Democratic nomination.
The South Carolina Democratic Party is hosting a watch party at the South Carolina state fairgrounds in Columbia.
In a warehouse, red, white and blue flags are hung from the roof, tall blue curtains line the walls and the floor is carpeted blue and red. Two TV screens proclaim “F1rst in the nati❤️n”, with the heart doubling as a map of South Carolina. There is a giant American flag behind the stage.
Guests are lining up for a buffet of meatballs, chicken, pasta, deviled eggs, fruit and vegetables.
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Meanwhile, we have our own live results tracker.
You can find it here:
We expect the Associated Press to, at any moment, call South Carolina’s Democratic primary for Joe Biden. In the meantime, here’s what the Guardian’s David Smith saw on the ground today in Columbia, as voting was under way:
As predicted, South Carolina’s Democratic primary Saturday is proving to be a low-key affair – but that hasn’t stopped Joe Biden from trying to boost turnout.
The president posted a video on the social media platform X in which he said simply: “South Carolina, go vote today!” Biden also made a stop at his 2024 campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his vice-president, Kamala Harris.
Nearly seven in 10 voters have said they plan to vote for Biden during Saturday’s primary, a recent Emerson College poll found. Challengers Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson were polling at about 5% and 3%, respectively. Three in 10 South Carolina voters were expected to take part in the primary.
At least a handful of those who turned out to cast ballots did so despite encountering election day complications.
People with plans to vote at the Arsenal Hill Center in Columbia were confronted with a sign informing them the polling place had been moved to the Earlewood Park Community Centre a mile and a half away.
At the community centre in question, fewer than a hundred people had voted by noon. When one man was asked whether he had come to vote, he replied: “No – I’m here to play tennis.”
But voters for Biden did include Lou Fontana, 70, who used to work in television and for the South Carolina park service. “I believe in the man’s politics,” he said. “I believe in the fact that he’s a good man. I think he’s leading the country in a good direction.
“I can’t see how people are missing the fact that the economy has rebounded so much, stock market’s at an all-time high, we just had record job numbers again yesterday. I’m not sure what people don’t get.”
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Polls close in South Carolina Democratic primary
It’s 7pm, and polls have closed in South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary.
Joe Biden is expected to win in a landslide, as incumbent presidents typically do. We’ll let you know how big his victory is, and whether there are any signs of Democrats supporting the candidacies of Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, or staying home altogether.
As hopeful as Democratic leaders are for a big Biden win in the South Carolina primary, the Guardian’s George Chidi reports that poll workers were expecting low turnout for the vote:
Two old men sat in the dark on a bench outside Dunston elementary school in North Charleston, South Carolina, waiting for a long day to start that would be quieter than they deserved.
Few were expecting strong turnout for the Democratic primary in South Carolina on Saturday. In pre-election polls, Biden had more than 90% support. The nomination race has no drama. But people still have to vote. And the temperamental apparatus of elections has to prepare for that vote, even when it’s not cast.
“We’ve got some people that come down here and really don’t know what they’re doing, and I try to help them,” said Virgil Middleton, 74, a retired truck driver and marine veteran of the Vietnam war. He fought for democracy, he said, “so that everybody can have a fair chance in the United States”.
Six poll workers trundled into the school gym at 6am, one of 2,351 precincts across the state, to snip the zip ties – marked with serial numbers – on the ballot box and fiddle with the polling terminals. They solemnly swore “to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of this state and of the United States”.
Up before sunrise, all would return home after dark. Take-home pay for a poll worker is about $167 for the day, said Robert Samuel Jackson, a 74-year-old retiree in North Charleston. It’s soldierly work. Four are military veterans. None are younger than 60.
And all have known each other – and known Annette Green, the precinct clerk – for years.
Biden, Harris push for big win in South Carolina
South Carolina’s Democratic primary may be Joe Biden’s to lose, but the state nonetheless has the full attention of the president and his allies.
Biden isn’t in South Carolina today, but visited repeatedly last month. On X (formerly Twitter), he posted a video encouraging people to vote:
South Carolina: Head out to the polls by 7pm today to make history again. https://t.co/NqNhRD4y7D pic.twitter.com/GtDR72VSGp
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 3, 2024
The 2020 Democratic primary was far more competitive, and South Carolina was the first state Biden won, putting him on the path to winning that year’s nomination and eventually the presidency. Kamala Harris, who campaigned in the state yesterday, referenced that in her tweet:
In 2020, the people of South Carolina showed up to vote.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 3, 2024
You convinced your friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers of the power of their vote.
It is because of that work that @JoeBiden and I are in the White House.
Let's do it again today. pic.twitter.com/zdFZ3z4cZv
South Carolina native and Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison also pushed a pro-voting message alongside a member of a protest group who targeted a segregated lunch counter in the 1960s:
South Carolina, take it from David Williamson, Jr., a member of the Friendship Nine: VOTE! pic.twitter.com/VShte7P5cZ
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) February 3, 2024
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South Carolina Democrats expected to put Biden on path to renomination with primary vote
Good evening, US politics blog readers. We are convening this evening as South Carolina holds the first Democratic primary of the year, which Joe Biden is expected to win handily, putting him on the road to again receiving the party’s presidential nomination. While he does have challengers, namely Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson, there have been no signs that Democrats would prefer either candidate over the president. Biden is, thus, a shoo-in to win South Carolina and the primary at large, but how the Palmetto state votes this evening may give other indications of the dynamics the president faces as he prepares for a likely rematch against Donald Trump in November. Here are some of the things we’ll be looking for as the clock ticks to 7pm ET, when polls close:
How big is Biden’s win? Last month, the president won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary with 64% support. He wasn’t even on the ballot, and his victory was the result of a write-in campaign by his supporters, but the result nonetheless offers a baseline to compare against his expected victory in South Carolina.
Will Black voters turn out for him? Approval polls have shown Biden underwater with the public at large for more than two and a half years, but Democrats are particularly worried about declining support for the president among African Americans, a key constituency. South Carolina’s population is over a quarter Black, and the results could give a hint as to whether that group will vote for him again.
What are voters saying? South Carolina is deep red at the federal level and sure to be won by the Republican candidate in November. Tonight’s primary nonetheless offers the opportunity to hear from Democratic voters about what’s on their minds as they mull the prospect of a second Biden term.
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