Feb. 29, 2020, 10:26 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 10:26 p.m. ET By A delegate math silver lining for Sanders. It is a big night for Joseph R. Biden Jr., but Bernie Sanders can count on netting at least a few delegates, as he will finish above the 15 percent threshold statewide, according to The Associated Press. Though results are still coming in, The A.P. estimated that Mr. Sanders would receive at least seven delegates from South Carolina, preventing an outright shutout by Mr. Biden in South Carolina. The senator from Vermont can earn delegates based on his statewide vote share, as well as by finishing above 15 percent in any of the seven congressional districts around the state. Mr. Sanders, who congratulated Mr. Biden on his victory at a rally in Virginia, saying, “you can’t win them all,” had jumped to an early delegate lead in the primary race after a close victory in New Hampshire and a big win in Nevada. Tom Steyer, the self-funding billionaire candidate who spent lavishly on his effort nationally and in South Carolina, had not yet earned a delegate, with nearly 90 percent of the results in. He dropped out of the race on Saturday night. Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 9:45 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 9:45 p.m. ET By Steyer drops out: ‘I honestly don’t see a path.’ Image Tom Steyer at Allen University in Columbia on Friday. Credit... Hilary Swift for The New York Times COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tom Steyer dropped out of the presidential race Saturday night following a poor showing in the South Carolina primary. He spent more than $191 million, most of it drawn from his personal fortune, on his long-shot presidential bid. A billionaire former hedge fund operator who has devoted the last decade of his life to issues ranging from climate change to impeaching President Trump, his campaign never fully caught on. He had focused much of strategy on South Carolina, but with more than 50 percent of precincts reporting he had garnered less than 12 percent of the vote. “I didn’t get into this race to start talking about things to get votes,” Mr. Steyer said, appearing before supporters at an election night party. “I was in this race to talk about things that I care about.” He added: “We were disappointed with how we came out. I think we got one or two delegates from South Carolina, but there’s no question today that we were disappointed. I said that if I didn’t see a path to winning, I would suspend my campaign. And I honestly don’t see a path.” In withdrawing from the race, Mr. Steyer did not endorse a candidate, but he pledged to work to support the eventual Democratic nominee. Read more

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Feb. 29, 2020, 9:41 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 9:41 p.m. ET By Buttigieg, in Raleigh, reacts to fourth-place finish. RALEIGH, N.C. — Throwing a victory party after what appears to be a fourth-place finish in South Carolina’s primary, Pete Buttigieg said he had been humbled yet remained hopeful. “Running for president is an exercise in hope and humility and we have come down South filled with both,” the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., told a high school gymnasium packed with a few thousand supporters. “I am proud of the votes we earned and I am determined to earn every vote on the road ahead.” Looking forward to the contests coming Tuesday — including North Carolina’s primary — Mr. Buttigieg took shots at Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Bernie Sanders, who are now the delegate leaders in the Democratic presidential contest, without naming them. “We cannot go on with the politics that has us at each others’ throats rather than at each other’s backs,” he said of Mr. Sanders. And Mr. Buttigieg repeated a point he’s been stressing since the outset of his campaign: that Mr. Biden’s decades of Washington experience were a detriment to his chances of defeating President Trump in November. “Democrats win,” he said, “when we offer a new vision, a new generation of leadership.” Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 9:19 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 9:19 p.m. ET By Biden declares victory and swipes at Sanders. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:23 - 0:00 transcript Joe Biden Rally in South Carolina Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke to supporters in Columbia, S.C., after winning the state’s primary on Saturday. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, South Carolina. My buddy Jim Clyburn, you brought me back. This is a man of enormous integrity. All those who’ve been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign. Just days ago, the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead. Now, thanks to all of you, the heart of the Democratic Party, we just won, and we’ve won big because of you. And we are very much alive. Look, I told you all that you could launch a candidacy. You launched Bill Clinton, Barack Obama to the presidency. Now you launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke to supporters in Columbia, S.C., after winning the state’s primary on Saturday. Credit Credit... Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has run three times for the White House, won his first state ever as a presidential candidate on Saturday, declaring victory in South Carolina and using the moment to obliquely rebuke his chief rival for the nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders. “This is the moment to choose the path forward for our party,” Mr. Biden said, speaking at his victory party here. “Folks, win big or lose, that’s the choice. Most Americans don’t want the promise of revolution. They want more than promises. They want results.” Mr. Biden’s decisive victory here comes after crippling losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, and as Mr. Sanders has made significant inroads in the many states that will vote on Super Tuesday, three days from now. The former vice president’s allies hope that Mr. Biden’s win here will inject enough momentum into his campaign to revive his standing in those states, and that he will emerge as the clear moderate alternative to Mr. Sanders, though former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York in particular has complicated those efforts. “Talk is cheap, false promises are deceptive, talk about revolution isn’t changing anyone’s life,” he said, another jab at Mr. Sanders, a democratic socialist from Vermont who has spoken of revolution. “We need real changes right now.” Mr. Biden spoke at a raucous rally held in a cavernous gym here, a stark departure from the small, subdued venues he often encountered in the first two states. He spoke in sweeping terms about unity and championing the American values that, he suggested, President Trump had shredded. And he worked in some implicit swipes at Mr. Bloomberg, who has been a Republican and an independent as well as a Democrat. “If the Democrats want a nominee who’s a Democrat — A lifelong Democrat! A proud Democrat! An Obama-Biden Democrat! — then join us,” Mr. Biden said with a grin. Mr. Biden discussed the crucial role South Carolina played in the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and cast himself as the next candidate to be propelled to the nomination out of this state. He also appeared to nod to African-American voters, a critical part of the Democratic base. Many of those voters helped propel Mr. Biden to victory. “Just days ago, the press and the pundits declared this candidacy dead,” he said. “Now thanks to all to you, the heart of the Democratic Party, we’ve just won and we won big.” “And,” he added, “we are very much alive.” Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 9:12 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 9:12 p.m. ET By Warren, speaking in Houston, picks up an endorsement and looks to Super Tuesday. HOUSTON — With votes still being counted in South Carolina but a disappointing finish in the single digits all but certain, Elizabeth Warren took the stage in Houston tonight to rally a crowd of about 2,000 raucous supporters ahead of Texas’ March 3 primary. Ms. Warren started the day in South Carolina before flying to Little Rock, Ark., and ending the day with a town hall here. Standing in front of an American flag backdrop at a downtown park, Ms. Warren declared her intention to fight through Super Tuesday and beyond. “I’ll be the first to say that the first four contests haven’t gone exactly as I’d hoped,” Ms. Warren said, after congratulating Joseph R. Biden Jr. for his South Carolina victory. “Super Tuesday is three days away and we want to gain as many delegates to the convention as we can — from California to right here in Texas.” Ms. Warren was preceded onstage by Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who announced her endorsement of Ms. Warren — not on behalf of the A.F.T. but in her personal capacity. (The AFT has encouraged its 1.8 million members to support Ms. Warren, Mr. Biden, or Bernie Sanders.) Image Randi Weingarten spoke a rally for Senator Elizabeth Warren in Houston. Credit... Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Ms. Warren touted her connections to Texas, noting that she had earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Houston, the school where she later took her first job as a law professor. She later taught at the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Warren also addressed the coronavirus outbreak, harshly criticizing President Trump’s handling of the health crisis. She described the virus’s spread as a potential dagger in the heart of what she described as a “shaky” economy overly dependent on household and corporate debt. “The impact on our economy could be brutal, putting jobs at risk, threatening savings, undermining economic stability, and even potentially destabilizing our giant, globally interconnected banks,” Ms. Warren said. The candidate who famously has a plan for everything, and who several weeks ago released a proposal to contain and treat infectious disease outbreaks, said that in the coming days she would release an additional plan to deal with the public health and economic effects of the virus. Among other proposals, the plan will call for free coronavirus testing, free medical care for those put into mandatory quarantine, and paid time off for employees to get tested and treated. She also called for a major fiscal stimulus bill and for the Federal Reserve to offer low-cost loans to struggling companies. Ms. Warren once again slammed Michael R. Bloomberg, saying that the coronavirus outbreak “demands more than a billionaire mayor who believes that since he’s rich enough to buy network airtime to pretend he’s the president, that entitles him to be president — a mayor whose track record shows he’ll govern to protect himself and his rich friends over everyone else.” She also took a swipe at Bernie Sanders, “a senator who has good ideas, but whose 30-year track record shows he consistently calls for things that fail to get done, and consistently opposes things he nevertheless fails to stop.” To qualify for a share of Texas’s 261 delegates, Ms. Warren needs to win at least 15 percent of the vote. Polls currently show her at or just below 15 percent in Texas — a big reason she chose the state for her Saturday night address. It’s her sixth visit to the state since announcing her candidacy. “I just hope she gets enough votes here to give her a chunk of the delegates,” said Lisa Devereaux, who drove 45 minutes from Texas City to attend the Warren event. “That way she has some momentum going forward.” Tomorrow Ms. Warren will travel to Selma, Ala., to help commemorate the 55th anniversary of the city’s landmark civil rights march, known as Bloody Sunday. Read more

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Feb. 29, 2020, 9:01 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 9:01 p.m. ET By Sanders congratulates Biden, and looks ahead. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:03 - 0:00 transcript Bernie Sanders Comes in Second in South Carolina The presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders spoke at a rally in Virginia Beach after the former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was announced to have won the South Carolina primary Now I am very proud that in this campaign so far, we have won the popular vote in Iowa. We have won the New Hampshire primary. We have won the Nevada caucus. But you cannot win them all. A lot of states out there. And tonight we did not win in South Carolina. And that will not be the only defeat. There are a lot of states in this country. Nobody wins them all. I want to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory tonight. And now, we enter Super Tuesday in Virginia. The presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders spoke at a rally in Virginia Beach after the former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was announced to have won the South Carolina primary Credit Credit... Erin Schaff/The New York Times VIRGINIA BEACH — Bernie Sanders congratulated Joseph R. Biden Jr. at a rally on Saturday night, acknowledging he had not won South Carolina but projecting optimism about the primaries on Super Tuesday. “A lot of states out there, and tonight we did not win in South Carolina,” he said, prompting boos. “That will not be the only defeat — there are a lot of states in this country. Nobody wins them all.” Sounding somewhat drained after campaigning in two states — earlier in the day, he was in Massachusetts — he nevertheless struck an upbeat tone about the primary races on March 3, when 15 states and territories, including California and Texas, will vote. “I want to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory tonight,” he said. “And now,” he said dramatically, as if announcing the next heavyweight title bout, “We head to Super Tuesday and Virginia!” Near the stage was a screen. But it was not showing any results, as it had during his rallies after the New Hampshire and Nevada nominating contests. Instead, it showed a static campaign logo. Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 8:09 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 8:09 p.m. ET By This is how a race is called the moment polls close. RALEIGH, N.C. — South Carolina’s primary didn’t bring much suspense: The Associated Press called the race for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as soon as polls closed at 7 p.m. How can they know who won the moment the polls closed, before official results are in? The A.P. made its call based on A.P. VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted by the research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. It’s the same system the A.P. will use to call noncompetitive states in the general election come November, and similar to the exit polling the television networks use to call races.

Feb. 29, 2020, 8:01 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 8:01 p.m. ET By Thomas Kaplan and Clyburn says the Biden campaign needs ‘retooling.’ Image Representative James E. Clyburn on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday. Credit... T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times In the hours before Joseph R. Biden Jr. was declared the winner of the South Carolina primary, Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina said Mr. Biden’s presidential campaign needed “retooling” and promised to personally intervene now that he had endorsed Mr. Biden in the primary race. “I’m not going to sit idly by and watch people mishandle this campaign,” Mr. Clyburn said in an interview on CNN. “We are going to get it right.” Mr. Clyburn, the House majority whip and the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, endorsed Mr. Biden on Wednesday, giving him a major boost in the final days before Saturday’s primary in South Carolina. Nearly half of primary voters said Mr. Clyburn’s support was an important factor in their decision, according to early exit polls. During the interview, the CNN host Ana Cabrera noted that Mr. Biden, the former vice president, had been vastly outspent on advertising in Super Tuesday states, and she read a series of quotations from Democratic officials in a New York Times article from this past week about Mr. Biden’s limited presence on the ground in those states. Party leaders from the Arkansas Democratic chairman to the Democratic minority leader in the Alabama House of Representatives — who is now supporting former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York — had been sharply critical of Mr. Biden’s campaign organization. “So, congressman, how does Biden compete moving forward?” Ms. Cabrera asked. “Well, I think he will have to do better, no question about that,” Mr. Clyburn responded. “I have those same concerns.” He added: “If we are successful tonight in this campaign, if he has a relaunch, I think we will have to sit down and get serious about how we retool this campaign, how we retool the fund-raising, how we do the G.O.T.V. And at that point in time, many of us around the country will be able to join with him and help him get it right. We need to do some retooling in the campaign, no question about that.” Also on Saturday, the Biden campaign announced that Mr. Clyburn would campaign for Mr. Biden on Sunday in North Carolina, one of the 14 states with primaries on Super Tuesday. Read more

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Feb. 29, 2020, 7:03 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 7:03 p.m. ET By Joe Biden wins South Carolina primary with overwhelming support. Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the South Carolina primary on Saturday, giving the former vice president a much-needed victory that demonstrated his deep connections with black voters in the first state to vote with a significant black population. The mood at the Biden campaign party was instantly ebullient, as attendees arriving around 7 p.m. were greeted with news of the race call. “Celebration” blasted on the speakers. The victory also brought in some much needed money; the campaign’s director of online fund-raising announced that the campaign had its best hour of fund-raising ever in the “48 minutes” after the race was called. Though he was expected to have a strong showing in South Carolina, Mr. Biden’s struggles in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada shook his status as the consensus alternative to Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. But his decisive victory here appears to have calmed some establishment Democrats. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia announced his endorsement of the former vice president moments after Mr. Biden was declared the winner in South Carolina, saying he had the “broad appeal to win Virginia and the White House in 2020.” Mr. Biden has run for president three times, and this is the first time he has ever won a state. He had been pointing to a victory in South Carolina as the launching point for the next phase for his campaign, signaling that a meaningful victory would bring in a new influx of cash, and that a sweeping victory would propel him onto the nomination. “Today is a great day because, I tell you what, the full comeback starts in South Carolina,” Mr. Biden said at a campaign rally in North Carolina earlier in the day. “We’re going to win South Carolina. And the next step is North Carolina.” Then, he said, “it’s a straight path to the nomination for president of the United States of America.” While the victory is sure to ease some anxiety at his campaign headquarters in Philadelphia, Mr. Biden now turns to a four-day blitz to make up for lost time in Super Tuesday states, where a lack of resources and thin campaign organization present a daunting challenge to his shaken candidacy. But Mr. Biden was confident in his path ahead on Saturday. “I don’t think it will even be over after Super Tuesday,” he said at a campaign event early in the day in Greenville, S.C. “I think it’s still going to go on to states that are ones I feel very good about.” Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 7:00 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 7:00 p.m. ET By After 12 hours, the polls in South Carolina have closed. Image Shortly after polls closed at East Cooper Montessori Charter School in Charleston. Credit... Hilary Swift for The New York Times Polls have closed in South Carolina, ending voting in a state that will test the ability of the Democratic presidential candidates to win support from African-Americans, a core contingent of the party’s base. After a string of losses, a strong showing in the fourth nominating contest is crucial for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has staked his candidacy on victory in the Palmetto State. Mr. Biden and his team hope that a Wednesday endorsement from Representative James Clyburn, the state’s most influential Democrat, will help power a decisive win. A loss in the state could mark the beginning of the end for Mr. Biden’s effort. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and the billionaire former hedge fund investor Tom Steyer have stayed within striking distance of Mr. Biden in some recent polls. Four years ago, Mr. Sanders lost the state by nearly 50 points. Since then, he’s made inroads into the electorate, developing a base of support among younger black voters. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota have struggled to break into double digits among black voters, a weakness that portends a weak showing tonight. Missing from the ballot was former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, who filed to compete in his first contests on Super Tuesday next week, when 15 states and territories, along with Democrats abroad, will cast ballots. Hoping to step on any momentum from the contest, Mr. Bloomberg announced that he would make a three-minute address to the nation Sunday night on the growing crisis surrounding the coronavirus — an unusual and pricey political play during a primary race. The South Carolina primary is the first election in the country where voters will use all-new voting machines, part of an effort by about a dozen states to replace their equipment amid security concerns after Russian interference in the 2016 election. A strong performance in South Carolina will likely give the winner a boost of momentum heading into the Super Tuesday contests. Already, candidates have turned their focus to those delegate-rich primaries, with most spending the day holding rallies and town hall events in Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina and other states that will vote next week. We are tracking live results here. Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 6:59 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 6:59 p.m. ET By A crowd waits for Warren in Houston: ‘I just love her energy.’ HOUSTON — Hours before Elizabeth Warren was scheduled to hold a town hall at a park in downtown Houston, hundreds of her supporters were already in a festive mood, packed in front of a stage with an American flag backdrop. Many spread blankets on the grass and had a picnic, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. Lisa Devereaux, wearing a t-shirt that read “Erase Hate,” had driven 45 minutes from Texas City to see her favorite candidate. “I just love her energy,” said Ms. Devereaux, 51, a recruiter for the University of Texas Medical Branch. “All the candidates have pretty similar policies, with the exception of something like Medicare for all. I like Elizabeth because she has actual plans for getting things passed.” Amanda Heathco, a non-profit arts administrator from Houston, brought her 10-year-old daughter. “I think it’s super important for her to see women in important positions, especially as she enters middle school and high school,” Ms. Heathco, 36, said. “It’s very inspirational.” Read more

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Feb. 29, 2020, 6:55 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 6:55 p.m. ET By Looking to Super Tuesday, Buttigieg campaigns in Nashville. Image Pete Buttigieg at a campaign rally in Nashville, Tenn. Credit... Mark Humphrey/Associated Press NASHVILLE — A woman shouted out from the audience amid a sea of blue and yellow signs, puffed jackets and apparel from the local ice hockey team, the Nashville Predators, thanking Pete Buttigieg for coming to Tennessee. “Look, I’m a red-state Democrat too,” Mr. Buttigieg said, responding to the woman. “And we’ve got to go everywhere. We’ve got to campaign in every part of the country. Especially the parts of the country the others just look out the window of their airplanes at. That’s home for us.” It was three days before the state’s primary, set for Super Tuesday. The day before, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota had made an appearance in the city. Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, had also worked his way across Tennessee. Mr. Buttigieg, speaking on a cold, clear Saturday from a stage set up in front of Nashville’s monolithic courthouse and city hall, criticized the way Senator Bernie Sanders has presented the ideals he said both candidates share. “I also believe the best way to build the majority that will defeat Donald Trump is to call people in, not call people names online,” Mr. Buttigieg said. But he leveled the majority of his attacks against President Trump, relishing the opportunity to, as a former member of the armed forces, confront him on issuing pardons to “war criminals.” “Let’s have that debate. I’m looking forward to that debate,” Mr. Buttigieg said to cheers from the 2,700 gathered. Mr. Buttigieg pulled questions from the fishbowl from the Bible belt audience and answered queries on his stance on religious liberty and favorite piece of scripture. The questions came from attendees who had traveled from Kentucky and northwestern Mississippi. Renee Hall, 62, brought her Staffordshire terrier, Buster, to the rally. While waiting for the rally to begin, Hall’s homemade cardboard sign with the words “Go Pete Win” leaned against her folding law chair. Four years ago, she supported Mr. Sanders in that primary because she thought he was the candidate needed in that moment. But she switched to Mr. Buttigieg because she believes his understanding and demeanor is better. “He’s got fight in a nice way,” Ms. Hall said. She said she had cast her ballot for Mr. Buttigieg in Tennessee’s early voting period, and showed off the sticker affixed to the back of her phone. Ms. Hall, a registered nurse from Goodlettsville, Tenn., sees people in the hospital who can’t afford insurance. “I’m for ‘Medicare for all,’ but Pete knows how to get there,” she said. Meanwhile, Caleb Thomas, 33, worries about unqualified judges placed in the federal judiciary and a weaponized Department of Justice. Though he supported Mr. Sanders in 2016, a red-faced Mr. Sanders yelling during a recent debate changed his mind. “I want somebody who cares about process and who cares about rule of law and can comfort and unify people,” said Mr. Thomas, a video editor from Nashville. “And so that’s why I’m leaning Pete, because I think he has a very comforting way of talking, as opposed to Bernie: ‘Let’s burn the whole thing down.’” Mr. Thomas is still undecided, though he’s leaning toward Mr. Buttigieg. “I’m trying to make my mind up and I love that Pete’s coming here,” Mr. Thomas said, adding he believes the moderates and progressives in Tennessee are often overlooked by presidential campaigns. But he’s waiting for the results from South Carolina to see what they indicate before he ultimately decides. Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 5:59 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 5:59 p.m. ET By Klobuchar, more than 1,000 miles from South Carolina, amps up criticism of ‘Medicare for all.’ Image Senator Amy Klobuchar at a rally in Portland. Credit... Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine — Senator Amy Klobuchar has not been shy about her disagreements with Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on “Medicare for all.” But here in Portland, she was blunter in her assessment of the health care plan. “I did not get on the Medicare for all bill,” she said. “Why? Because I read it.” As she swings through Super Tuesday states, having given up on South Carolina, Ms. Klobuchar has been trying to draw more direct contrasts with the two senators to her left rather than with her more moderate rivals like Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., or former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. In Maine, her fourth Super Tuesday state in the past 48 hours, Ms. Klobuchar made plays to the local crowd, pointing to the impact of climate change on the lobster fishermen and oyster farmers and the lapse of rural broadband in northern Maine as being worse than in Iceland. She continued to criticize the president’s handling of the coronavirus, saying he “bungled lot of things,” including his proposed cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early on in his administration, and the decision to run all of the messaging about the virus through the vice president’s office. Amid the growing concern over the virus, Ms. Klobuchar is keeping a frenetic schedule ahead of Super Tuesday, holding events in 11 of the 14 Super Tuesday states in a four-day blitz. Her trip here, however, was a bit of a zag, jetting hundreds of miles out of the way to Maine between Virginia and North Carolina. “Of course you might think we would go from North Carolina from there,” she said. “But I said, ‘I want to go to Maine!’” Yet in her final event before polls closed in South Carolina, Ms. Klobuchar made no mention of the state currently voting, more than 1,000 miles away. Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 5:13 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 5:13 p.m. ET By Elizabeth Warren makes first trip to Arkansas. Saturday was Elizabeth Warren’s first trip to Arkansas during her monthslong presidential campaign — and she felt compelled to introduce herself. “I’m Elizabeth Warren and I’m the woman who’s going to beat Donald Trump,” she said, throwing supporters at the Little Rock, Ark., rally into a frenzy. Ms. Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, proceeded to spend much of her address recounting standard highlights of her biography as a preface and backdrop to her argument about the need to make government work for average Americans and their families. As a part of that argument, she once again offered thinly veiled attacks at the rich, including the millionaires and billionaires she has proposed taxing, like her Democratic primary rival Michael R. Bloomberg. “Some billionaires don’t like this plan. You may have noticed. Some have gone on TV and cried — it was so sad,” she said. “Others have run for president.” She was also asked during a question-and-answer session to address why, given her opposition to super PACs, one backing her has spent millions of dollars on ads supporting her. “There’s a super PAC now that’s come in for me, and I get it — there are people who want to try to get women elected. They feel really frustrated that they haven’t had an opportunity to do that,” she said. “But my view on this is we can keep super PACs out, but it takes everybody following the same set of rules. So as soon as everybody’s ready, I’ll lead the charge and we’ll keep the super PACs out because I think that’s the right way to do it.” Read more

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Feb. 29, 2020, 5:04 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 5:04 p.m. ET Civil rights leader greets admirers. Image Credit... Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson greeted restaurant goers at Railroad BBQ in Columbia, S.C., where his team has set up shop this week.

Feb. 29, 2020, 4:32 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 4:32 p.m. ET By S.C. Democrats predict high voter turnout and say no evidence, so far, of Republicans ‘infiltrating’ primary. Image Bobbie Keitt, right, voted at the Shandon Fire Station in Columbia, S.C. Credit... Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Democratic Party officials predicted heavy turnout during Saturday’s primary, possibly matching the 500,000 people who voted in 2008 when Barack Obama’s popularity drove the state’s black voters to polls in record numbers. Speaking at a news conference here eight hours after the polls opened, Trav Robertson, the chairman of the state party, said that nearly 80,000 voters had filed absentee ballots, a significant increase from the last two elections, indicating strong participation. “In the past, absentee balloting has always been an indicator of what turnout is going to be in South Carolina,” Mr. Robertson said. “And so our hopes are that we will see a very good turnout.” Separately, there was little indication so far that Republicans had tried to infiltrate the Democratic Party process, despite calls from President Trump, during a rally in North Charleston on Friday night, that Republicans vote to alter the outcome of the election. That strategy had also been proposed by what Jay Parmley, the executive director of the state Democrats, called some “rogue chairmen” on the Republican side. South Carolina is an open primary state where voters do not have to be registered in a party to vote in its primary. “We have not seen any sort of mass evidence, based on absentee ballots, of the Republicans infiltrating our primary,” Mr. Parmley said. Of nearly 80,000 absentee ballots, only 2,500 people had previously voted in more than one Republican primary. “This number is very insignificant in terms of the total number of absentee ballots,” he said. “And some of them could be legitimate disaffected Republican voters who want to vote in our primary.” Some of the increase, Mr. Robertson believes, has been driven by campaign efforts to get voters to the polls. The party’s emphasis on increasing voter registration also contributed to high turnout, adding 70,000 voters in the last six months alone, he said. “This year we hit a significant milestone,” Mr. Robertson said. “We now have over a million nonwhite registered voters.” Particularly encouraging were absentee ballots from traditionally Republican areas of the state, he said. “Greenville County absentee ballots have almost doubled, proving that in the upstate of South Carolina which has been written off, the Democratic Party is working very hard to make inroads there,” Mr. Robertson said. About 370,000 ballots were cast in the state’s last presidential primary in 2016. Mr. Parmley said that the election had been going smoothly so far, with only minor complaints from voters. As for the big question — who benefits from heavy turnout — the Democratic leaders declined to speculate. Mr. Parmley said four of the candidates — former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the former hedge fund investor Tom Steyer, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. — had efficient ground operations that he thinks might help them. Read more

Feb. 29, 2020, 3:38 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 3:38 p.m. ET By Bloomberg will address coronavirus in 3-minute prime-time TV ad. Image Michael R. Bloomberg at a campaign stop in Blountville, Tenn., on Friday. Credit... Brittainy Newman/The New York Times Seeking to draw a direct contrast with President Trump and present himself as the best Democratic alternative, Michael R. Bloomberg will deliver a three-minute prerecorded address on the coronavirus outbreak in an ad on network television Sunday night, his campaign announced. It was not immediately clear how much of Mr. Bloomberg’s personal fortune he spent to provide himself with the elevated platform. The ad is set to air around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time Sunday on CBS and NBC, and media executives estimated that it could cost the campaign anywhere from $1.25 million to $3 million, depending on whether the networks charged a premium to accommodate a last-minute purchase. Ahead of its scheduled airing, the Bloomberg campaign released the video of his remarks on Saturday, pitching the ad buy as an “unprecedented candidate address.” “At times like this, it is the job of the president to reassure the public that he or she is taking all the steps necessary to protect the health and well-being of every citizen,” Mr. Bloomberg says in the taped address. “The public wants to know their leader is trained, informed and respected. When a problem arises, they want someone in charge who can marshal facts and expertise to confront the problem.” As Mr. Bloomberg has sought to rebound from his performances in two Democratic debates and build support in the run-up to Super Tuesday, he has increasingly focused his campaign on his experience handling disasters as the mayor of New York, while contrasting himself with Mr. Trump and his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. In the ad that will air Sunday, Mr. Bloomberg does not mention Mr. Trump by name. Instead, he cites his own leadership experience rebuilding New York City after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and grappling with public health problems like West Nile virus and swine flu. “Each crisis is different, but they all require steady leadership, team building and preparation,” he says in the address. “As Americans we have faced many challenges before, and we have overcome them together by looking out for one another — and I am confident that is how we will get through this one as well.” The deal between NBC and the Bloomberg campaign was completed on Friday, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who was not authorized to speak about them publicly. The three-minute spot will run during “Little Big Shots,” a variety show featuring child performers hosted by the actress Melissa McCarthy. Tiffany Hsu contributed reporting. Read more

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Feb. 29, 2020, 3:07 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 3:07 p.m. ET Vote ✅, then get married. Image Credit... Hilary Swift for The New York Times Maire McMahon voted in the South Carolina Democratic Primary right before getting married at Hazel Parker Playground in Charleston.

Feb. 29, 2020, 2:32 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2020, 2:32 p.m. ET By Iowa Democrats vote to certify caucus results. Image The Iowa Democratic Party headquarters in Des Moines on Feb. 4, the day after the disastrous caucuses. Credit... Hilary Swift for The New York Times The counting in Iowa is over. Or at least it’s as over as it’s ever going to be. The Iowa Democratic Party voted on Saturday to certify the results of the caucuses that took place almost a month ago, effectively ending a saga that threw the Democratic presidential race into disarray. In a statement, the party said its state central committee had voted to certify the results from the Feb. 3 caucuses and send them to the Democratic National Committee. The news outlet Iowa Starting Line reported that the committee voted 22 to 13 in favor of certification. The Iowa Democratic Party results awarded Pete Buttigieg 14 pledged delegates to the national convention and Bernie Sanders 12; those delegates will help determine the Democratic presidential nominee. By another metric, the Iowa outcome was extraordinarily close: The results showed Mr. Buttigieg had amassed 562.954 “state delegate equivalents,” just ahead of Mr. Sanders, who earned 562.021. (The state delegate equivalents help determine the national pledged delegates won by each candidate.) The Associated Press has said it will not call a winner in Iowa because of concerns over the accuracy of the results. A review by The New York Times found that the results were riddled with errors, though they did not appear intentional or tilted toward a particular candidate. But The A.P. allowed that it would allocate the final outstanding delegate to Mr. Buttigieg such that its results would reflect those from the Iowa Democratic Party. Previously, The A.P. had awarded only 13 delegates to Mr. Buttigieg and withheld the final delegate that goes to the statewide winner. The certification vote came after a partial recount, the results of which were released Thursday night, and a recanvass that took place earlier this month. During those processes, officials reviewed preference cards completed by individual caucusgoers in 23 precincts and reviewed precinct leaders’ math. Shortly after the Iowa Democratic Party announced that it had completed the recounts this week, Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Mr. Sanders, told Politico that the campaign had filed an “implementation challenge” with the Democratic National Committee “stating that the Iowa Democratic Party conducted its recanvass and recount in a way that violated their delegate selection plan.” Mr. Sanders’s campaign did not immediately responded to a request for comment on Saturday. In a statement, Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign said: “Yet again, these results confirm Pete won the Iowa caucuses. Pete was the only candidate that was able to form a broad-based coalition across the state and across ideological differences.” Read more