By Luis De Jesus
03 Feb 2024, 19:56 PM EST
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, won this Saturday the victory in the Democratic primary in the state of South Carolina, according to important communication projections such as The New York Times, Washington Post and the chain cnn.
This process marks the beginning of the Democratic Party’s primary cycle.
Biden was practically assured of victory by not facing significant rivals. Along with him on the ballot were the names of Dean Phillips, a congressman from Minnesota, and Marianne Williamson, an author of self-help books who already ran unsuccessfully in the 2020 primary.
Biden’s large lead over his opponents led American media outlets, equipped with technology to estimate election results, to announce their projections about 25 minutes after the polls closed at 7:00 p.m. local time (00:00 GMT Sunday). .
With victory assured, Biden’s real challenge in this event is to demonstrate his ability to mobilize the party’s base, particularly the African-American community, which represents 60% of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina.
The best way to gauge enthusiasm for Biden will be through turnout results, which will be made public at the end of the count.
Biden is not in South Carolina this Saturday to celebrate the victory. However, in the last month he has visited three black churches in the state and his campaign has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on radio and television ads to reach African-American voters.
The importance of South Carolina lies in the fact that it officially opens the Democratic race for the November elections, being the first time that Biden faces the polls in person since his victory over former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) in the elections. of 2020.
Despite its symbolic power, South Carolina will only allocate 55 delegates of the almost 2,000 that Biden needs to officially proclaim himself as the Democratic candidate for the November elections, where he could once again face Trump, the favorite to be the Republican candidate. .
The Republican primary, where Trump will compete against former US ambassador to the UN and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, is scheduled for February 24.
Despite the Democratic Party’s investment in South Carolina, this state is not in play in the November elections, as it is considered a conservative bastion that has not voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1976, with Jimmy Carter (1977- 1981).
Keep reading:
• Why is Joe Biden assured of victory in this Saturday’s primary in South Carolina?
• Trump maintains favoritism over Nikki Haley in South Carolina, her home state, after a recent poll
• Who are the two Democrats challenging Joe Biden for the presidential nomination?