Bernie Sanders woos voters in key Southern state

Nicole Gaudiano | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Bernie Sanders doesn't want (Or Need) super pacs Relying mainly on small donors, Sanders is out-fundraising many of his opponents backed by Super PACs.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sen. Bernie Sanders decried “institutional racism” and called for major criminal justice system reforms — including an end to privately run prisons — while speaking at a historically black college here on Saturday.

The Vermont Independent, running for the Democratic presidential nomination, highlighted his proposals to eliminate federal, state and local contracts for privately run prisons within two years. He wants to shift money toward investments in jobs and education.

“We need to end the absurdity of private corporations making profits by running and building prisons,” he said during an hour-long speech at Benedict College. “Companies should not be profiting from the incarceration of fellow Americans.”

The crowd of about 1,000 applauded that position and Sanders’ push to promote diversity in police departments, reduce high incarceration rates, reform mandatory minimum prison sentences and invest in drug courts.

“I find it remarkable that many young people have a criminal record for smoking marijuana but not one major Wall Street executive has been prosecuted for illegal behavior,” he said.

This was Sanders’ second trip to South Carolina as a presidential candidate. He aims to broaden his appeal with a key constituency — African Americans — in the first Southern primary state.

Black voters likely will comprise more than half of the Democratic primary electorate in the Palmetto State, where Sanders is largely unknown and where his rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, enjoys long-standing support and name recognition.

Benedict freshman Dajana Baker, 19, of Greenville, S.C., said it’s important that Sanders continue to discuss racial justice issues.

“If we continue to ignore that in this country, it’s just creating denial and deceit,” said Baker, who is undecided on whom she’ll support in 2016.

Sanders’ Columbia speech also covered his plan to restore voting rights protections, provide free college tuition at public schools and raise the federal minimum wage to $15.

His support for providing at least 12 weeks of universal paid family and medical leave caught the attention of Benedict freshman class president Justin Barnett, 18, of Augusta, Ga.

Barnett, who signed up to volunteer for Sanders on Saturday, said his mother returned to work as a pre-K teacher a week after he was born because she needed to save vacation and sick days and couldn't afford to stay home.

“We shouldn’t have women who are just out of labor having to stand on their feet seven hours a day,” he said. “He made a lot of great points. But for me... I have witnessed the impact of a mother having to do so much for her family on her own.”

Sanders was joined Saturday by author and civil rights activist Cornel West, a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement that has disrupted Sanders’ campaign events with protests. Since he formally announced his campaign in May, Sanders has increased his focus on racial justice issues and the need to combat poverty among African Americans.

“Once people are exposed to who he really is, and see his genuine commitment to racial justice, economic justice and gender justice, we won’t have too many worries about those kinds of disruptions,” West said during an interview.

As polls show his support rising in Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders plans to spend more time introducing himself to voters in South Carolina and other states. Following stops here, he has scheduled events on Sunday in North Carolina and on Monday in Virginia, including a speech at evangelical Christian Liberty University in Lynchburg.

“We are going to have a statewide effort, going door-to-door in South Carolina,” said Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver. “We take nothing for granted. We’re going to fight for every single vote there.”

Sanders edged past Clinton in one Iowa poll this week and is leading her in New Hampshire, neighbor of his home state of Vermont. But a Public Policy Polling survey of South Carolina Democratic voters this month showed only 9 percent supported Sanders while 54 percent supported Clinton and 24 percent supported Vice President Joe Biden, who has not entered the race.

Only 3 percent of Sanders’ supporters identified as African-American. Sanders, who drew crowds in the thousands during his August trip to the state, is working to change that. During that trip, he met with African-American leaders and elected officials, and campaign staff says he’ll continue to hold such meetings. His South Carolina presence includes two offices with 15 full-time workers, and he plans to open more by the end of the month.

“We want to build relationships and make sure that people fully understand the senator’s message,” said Sanders’ South Carolina state director, Chris Covert. “They don’t know him yet.”