President Joe Biden handily won the South Carolina Democratic primary, beating out a handful of mostly unknown challengers on Saturday.
His victory was expected, with all indicators suggesting Biden will be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president this election cycle.
“The people of South Carolina have spoken again, and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the presidency again — and making Donald Trump a loser again,” Biden said in a statement released by his campaign.
South Carolina was key to Biden’s 2020 victory, and the party rewarded the state by moving the primary to be first on the Democratic Party calendar. The move irked New Hampshire, which used to be the first Democratic primary. The Granite State held its primary anyway last month, and Biden won it as a write-in candidate, per NPR. Because the primary was unsanctioned, it will not count toward the necessary delegate count when the party holds its nominating convention this summer.
Voter turnout for the South Carolina primary was significantly lower than in years past, with only around 131,000 people turning out. In 2020, nearly 540,000 voters came out for the primary, however, the Republican primary was held the same day, possibly accounting for the differential this year, according to CBS News.
“When I was elected President, I said the days of the backbone of the Democratic Party being at the back of the line were over,” Biden said in a statement addressing South Carolina Democrats. “That was a promise made and a promise kept. Now, you are First In The Nation.”
Two candidates were on the primary ballot to challenge the incumbent president, but neither gained more than 2,800 votes.
South Carolina will hold a Republican primary later this month, and polling indicates that former President Donald Trump will win in that contest. Nikki Haley, the only remaining high-profile Republican challenger to Trump, formerly served as governor of the state, but polls show Trump with a 62-32% lead over her.
Trump has already won in Iowa and New Hampshire, building a delegate lead over the former governor and UN ambassador. Haley has claimed that “closing the gap” with Trump’s lead will signify success, even if the popular former president wins her home state.
“It’s just about keeping that momentum going. We got 20% in Iowa. We got 43% in New Hampshire. Let’s bring it a little bit closer so that we can get closer to [Trump] and make it more competitive going into Super Tuesday,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Saturday.
Nevada and Michigan will hold Democratic primaries later this month, with the former scheduled for February 6. Super Tuesday is on March 5, when 16 states will hold primaries simultaneously.
