Biden dominates, Sanders slips to second and other takeaways from the South Carolina primary

Show Caption Hide Caption Biden wins South Carolina on support of black voters Former Vice President Joe Biden posted a resounding victory in the South Carolina primary, largely on the strength of his support among black voters.

WASHINGTON – Former Vice President Joe Biden finally got the win he needed.

After nearly a month of underperforming in Iowa and New Hampshire, and finishing in a distant second in Nevada, Biden sealed a definitive win in the South Carolina primary, with black voters pushing him to victory. It's the first primary win ever for Biden, who is running for president for the third time.

According to exit polls, 64% of black voters supported Biden. Sen. Bernie Sanders came in a distant second with black voters at 15%, followed closely by billionaire activist Tom Steyer at 13%.

Here are some takeaways from the South Carolina Democratic primary:

Joe Biden's big win

South Carolina voters also turned to a key endorsement to make their decision. According to exit polls, six out of 10 primary voters took into account Rep. Jim Clyburn's endorsement of Biden. Clyburn is a Democratic icon in South Carolina, and told CNN on Friday “we will have to sit down and get serious about how we retool this campaign” following Saturday's primary.

Biden's win gives him a much-needed boost going into Super Tuesday, where about 33% of national pledged delegates are up for grabs. He has now leapfrogged into second place among national delegates, following Sanders.

One hurdle Biden will face, however, is competing with former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg for the first time this primary season. The two candidates are competing for much of the same center-left base, as is former mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

But Biden's win will likely encourage voters and donors to move forward with supporting his campaign – many of whom have been wary of the candidate following his low standing in other early states.

Bernie Sanders slips to second

Sanders is holding his lead in national delegates, but it's clear the race is changing.

Saturday's nights distant second place shows Sanders might see some trouble with some black voters, who make up one of the largest voting blocs in the Democratic Party.

Only 15% of black voters supported Sanders in the South Carolina primary, according to exit polls. But nationally, Sanders has seen an increase in support among black voters. He stands at 29% with black voters nationally, following Biden, who is leading at 31%, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

In 2016, Sanders only won about 26% total in South Carolina, compared to his then-Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton at about 73%.

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In addition, Sanders is opting out of attending the Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, Alabama, which commemorates Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, that lead to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Alabama's primary is part of Super Tuesday.

Although Sanders is holding a lead in polling, both nationally and in several Super Tuesday states, it's unclear whether Biden's win Saturday will push some voters to turn to the former vice president. Sanders, a Democratic socialist, appeals mostly with younger voters, who have traditionally not voted on the levels of older voters. However, in 2018, 18-29 year-olds made up the largest increase in voter turnout.

One state that could keep Sanders on top is California. The Vermont Senator holds a huge lead in polling in the state, which has 415 delegates. Candidates need to get at least 15% across the state to win delegates and Sanders is the only one who passed that threshold in a recent CNN poll, where he stood at 35%.

Tom Steyer spends at least $18 million, drops outs

Tom Steyer, who invested millions into the South Carolina primary, including about $18 million in TV ads alone, couldn't break past Biden's firewall.

Steyer ended his campaign after finishing in a distant third place Saturday.

"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," he told supporters during a rally in Columbia, S,C.

Prior to dropping out, Steyer had seen an increase in polling among black voters. He also received several high profile endorsements in the state, including Johnnie Cordero, chair of South Carolina's Black Caucus.

Steyer didn't earn any delegates in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada before dropping out.

Black voters rally behind Biden

According to exit polls from The Washington Post, Biden won with a whopping 60% share of the votes cast by African Americans in South Carolina, who accounted for more than half of the ballots in the Palmetto State. That level of support is even higher than expected after recent polls showed him with about 40% support among black voters.

Biden’s large share of the African American vote could foreshadow good things if it carries over into Super Tuesday states with large populations of African American voters, such as North Carolina and Alabama.

That voting bloc, who made up about a quarter of the votes cast in the 2016 Democratic primary, could prove key to making Biden competitive against Sanders on Super Tuesday.

Black voters in Saturday’s primary represented a lower percentage (56%) than those who turned out in 2016, when they made up 61% of the South Carolina vote. But total turnout that year was 370,904, compared with 528,720 (and counting) votes in 2020, meaning about 60,000 more black voters cast ballots in this contest than four years ago.

If that level of turnout continues, that could be good news for the Biden campaign moving forward.

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What about the other candidates?

It wasn't a good night for former mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar or Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Buttigieg, who saw strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, fell flat in South Carolina. This comes a week after placing a distant third in Nevada. In the weeks leading up to South Carolina's primary, Buttigieg continued to struggle with black voters, staying in the single digits among that bloc.

This could spell trouble for Buttigieg going forward, where many of the states in Super Tuesday have a large population of black and Latino voters.

Warren has continued to plateau as the primary continues. The Massachusetts Senator underperformed in New Hampshire after placing third in Iowa. She also didn't do well in Nevada. Despite having electric debate performances in the past two weeks, Warren has yet to find momentum at the polls.

Klobuchar hasn't been able to keep her momentum after a surprising third place New Hampshire win earlier this month. The Minnesota Senator has also struggled with voters of color, staying in the single digits with black and Latino voters.

It's unclear whether she will be able to break through the pack of the still crowded field of eight candidates. But her home state of Minnesota is among those that vote Tuesday.