Biden to register for South Carolina primary, seen as first test of
re-election strength
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[November 10, 2023]
By Jarrett Renshaw
(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign on Friday
will register for the South Carolina Democratic primary, the party's
first official clash and an early enthusiasm test for a president dogged
by a rash of recent polls that show declining support among Black
voters.
The state's Feb. 3 primary will represent the first time Biden faces a
contested election since 2020, squaring off against long shots Dean
Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, and self-help guru Marianne
Williamson.
It will mark a return to a state that Biden credits with catapulting him
to the White House. While Biden is unlikely to face serious competition,
a strong primary turnout in a state where the majority of Democratic
voters are Black would calm fears about Biden's 2024 electability.
"Even though we know Joe Biden is going to win the primary, we want to
get out the vote as a show of enthusiasm and support for the president,"
said Carol Fowler, a Democratic National Committee member and long-time
resident of the Palmetto state.
Biden ousted Iowa and New Hampshire from the top spots on the party's
nominating calendar in favor of South Carolina. The move forces any
Democratic challenger to Biden to compete first in South Carolina
instead of Iowa and New Hampshire, two largely white states which both
rejected him in 2020.
"It is an acknowledgement of the strength of the Black vote by kicking
off the fight in South Carolina," said Derrick Johnson, president of the
NAACP, the powerful civil rights organization.
Biden did not register for New Hampshire's primary, slated for January,
after the state refused the Democratic Party's request to move the date
back. Phillips and Williamson will compete in the primary, but they will
not amass any delegates needed to win the nomination.
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U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks to United Auto Workers
(UAW) union members in Belvidere, Illinois, U.S., November 9, 2023.
REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
GET-OUT-THE-VOTE
Incumbent presidents often have the luxury of avoiding messy and
costly primaries, while using the early contests as rehearsals and
mobilizing tools ahead of the general election.
While no one expects South Carolina to be competitive in the general
election - the state has not voted for a Democrat for president in a
general election since Jimmy Carter’s victory there in 1976 - the
Biden campaign is expected to invest in a get-out-the-vote operation
in South Carolina, including hiring staff, in the upcoming weeks.
It is also expected to invest in early primaries in Nevada and
Michigan, both battleground states that will help decide who wins
the general election.
BLACK VOTERS
A spate of recent polls shows the multi-racial coalition that
propelled Biden to the White House is fraying. James Clyburn, a
South Carolina congressman and one of the nation's most influential
Black leaders, is filing on behalf of the Biden campaign.
A CNN poll published on Oct. 31 found that Biden's overall approval
rating in South Carolina was just 33%, lower than his national
approval, which has hovered around 40% in most polls.
The same poll found that 63% of Black registered voters and 78% of
Democratic registered voters in the state give him positive marks
for his job performance.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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