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 African Americans support former Secretary of State Clinton by
more than a 3-to-1 margin nationwide, but among young blacks 18 to
29 years old, that margin shrinks to 46 percent for Clinton versus
33 percent for Sanders, according to recent Reuters/Ipsos polling.
African Americans overwhelmingly back Democrats, but opinion polls
in the run-up to the Nov. 8 presidential election show younger
blacks more apt to reject an establishment candidate. They seem less
inclined than their parents to reward Clinton for the outreach of
her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and more drawn to
Sanders’ outspoken views on reducing income inequality, cracking
down on Wall Street, and cutting the cost of college.
Reuters/Ipsos polling last year showed that 36 percent of blacks
between 18 and 29 years old thought the country was on the “wrong
track,” compared with 23 percent of blacks who were at least 60
years old.
For Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who describes himself as a
democratic socialist, this trend could help him chip away at
Clinton's firewall of minority voters in the southern states, after
his strong showings against her - especially among the young - in
the early Democratic Party contests of Iowa and New Hampshire, both
more than 90 percent white.
 The voting-age population in South Carolina, one of the next stops
on the primary trail, is about 67 percent white and 27 percent
black, the U.S. Census Bureau says.
In Orangeburg, South Carolina, students at the historically black
schools of South Carolina State University and Claflin University
appeared split this week over which of the two candidates to
support.
Students praised Clinton’s work on behalf of women and minorities
and her years of Washington experience. But many said they also were
intrigued by Sanders’ plans to raise taxes on wealthier people and
Wall Street firms, provide universal healthcare and offer free
public college tuition.
"The history is important. But at the same time ... you still need a
plan," said Travis Pascoe, 25, a second-year graduate student at
Claflin. He said Sanders' plans for reducing inequality by taxing
the wealthy and expanding Medicare to cover all Americans should
resonate with the black community.
"I think that would help the black community because we’re the least
privileged," he said.
Eight of 16 students interviewed were undecided voters. Of the eight
students whose minds were made up, four students said they planned
to vote for Clinton.
Ethel Hillman, 25, a freshman who served in the military before
going to college for social work, said she and many of her fellow
students were voting for Clinton. She described Sanders as too
aloof.
"He’s not socially connected, I would say, to the black community,"
she said. "He cares from a distance."
VYING FOR YOUNG VOTERS
South Carolina State’s student center, which houses a bowling center
and dining area, has quotes on walls from prominent black leaders,
including President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama,
singer Michael Jackson and educator Booker T. Washington.
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On one wall is a memorial to students killed in the 1968 "Orangeburg
massacre," when protesters were shot by state highway patrol
officers on campus amid tensions over racial discrimination.
For Sanders, minority voters have been a lingering weakness. He
struggled early in his campaign to appeal to black voters.
Protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement interrupted his
speeches, viewing him as out of touch with black issues.
To counter that perception, Sanders touted his college civil rights
activism, did publicity events with rapper Killer Mike, and on
Wednesday met black civil rights leader Al Sharpton in Harlem.
Like Clinton, Sanders has sent surrogates to historically black
colleges. The writer and activist Cornel West spoke at South
Carolina State on Sanders’ behalf, and actress Angela Bassett spoke
there in support of Clinton.
Where Sanders is fighting for inroads into the black electorate,
Clinton finds a comfort zone.
Her campaign has said it believes its road to the nomination would
become smoother once it moves south, to places where she and her
husband, the former president, have ties to minority leaders.
Clinton picked up the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus
political action committee on Thursday.
As the stakes mount in South Carolina, Representative Jim Clyburn,
one of the state’s most influential Democrats, said he was
considering endorsing a candidate. He did not endorse in Hillary
Clinton's 2008 primary race against Obama, and previously said he
would not weigh in this year.
His wavering was echoed in the views of several students on the
campus of South Carolina State.
"I’m kind of caught between Bernie Sanders and Hillary," said Kelsie
Bryant, 19, a sophomore education major at South Carolina State. She
said it was important to have a woman president, and she was worried
Sanders was too old. But she said his meeting with Sharpton sent a
positive signal about his outreach to blacks.
Cetris Brooks, 21, a senior biology major at South Carolina State,
said that ultimately she was "a little bit more trusting" of Clinton
because of what the former first lady meant to her family.
She said her parents had long supported Clinton, and her uncle knew
the former president.
(Additional reporting by Chris Kahn; Editing by Richard Valdmanis
and Howard Goller)
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