South Carolina's Democrats are more in favor of a return to Obama-era politics than voters in both New Hampshire and Iowa, according to the AP VoteCast early exit polls.

Why it matters: Roughly half of black South Carolina Democratic voters say they want a presidency like Obama's. By comparison, about 2/3 of white voters want fundamental change in Washington, the AP found.

Overall, "about 4 in 10 voters in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared to about a third in Iowa and New Hampshire," the AP notes.

in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared to about a third in Iowa and New Hampshire," the AP notes. "About 9 in 10 black voters said it was very important that a nominee cares about people like them, while about 7 in 10 whites said the same."

said it was very important that a nominee cares about people like them, while about 7 in 10 whites said the same." "Separately, about 8 in 10 black voters want a candidate with the 'right experience,' compared to just about 5 in 10 white voters."

The bottom line: The Biden campaign bet it all on South Carolina, and he remained the state's polling leader going into today's contest.