In a pivotal move signaling the commencement of his re-election campaign, U.S. President Joe Biden’s team is set to officially register for the South Carolina Democratic primary on Friday. This marks the party’s inaugural official clash and poses an early test of enthusiasm for a president grappling with declining support among Black voters, as indicated by recent polls.
Scheduled for February 3, 2024, the South Carolina primary presents the first contested election for Biden since 2020. The incumbent president will face competition from long shots Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, and self-help guru Marianne Williamson.
This return to South Carolina holds significant weight for Biden, who attributes his journey to the White House to the state’s pivotal role. Though serious competition against him is deemed unlikely, a robust primary turnout, especially in a state where the majority of Democratic voters are Black, would assuage concerns about Biden’s electability in the approaching 2024 elections.
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“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,” asserted Carol Fowler, a Democratic National Committee member and Palmetto state resident.
Biden strategically displaced Iowa and New Hampshire from the top spots on the Democratic Party’s nominating calendar in favor of South Carolina. This decision compels any Democratic challenger to face Biden first in South Carolina, diverging from the tradition of starting in Iowa and New Hampshire, two predominantly white states that rejected Biden in 2020.
Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, described this move as an “acknowledgment of the strength of the Black vote by kicking off the fight in South Carolina.”
Notably, Biden opted not to register for New Hampshire’s January primary after the state declined the Democratic Party’s request to reschedule. Although Phillips and Williamson will compete in the primary, they will not accrue any delegates needed for the nomination.
GET-OUT-THE-VOTE EFFORTS
Incumbent presidents often avoid messy and costly primaries, utilizing early contests as rehearsals and mobilizing tools for the general election. While South Carolina is not anticipated to be competitive in the general election, the Biden campaign is expected to invest in a robust get-out-the-vote operation in the state, including the hiring of staff in the upcoming weeks.
The campaign is also poised to invest in early primaries in Nevada and Michigan, both battleground states crucial in determining the ultimate winner of the general election.
CONCERNS AMID DECLINING SUPPORT
Recent polls reveal a weakening of the multi-racial coalition that propelled Biden to the White House. South Carolina congressman James Clyburn, one of the nation’s most influential Black leaders, is filing on behalf of the Biden campaign.
A CNN poll published on Oct. 31 reported Biden’s overall approval rating in South Carolina at just 33%, lower than his national approval, which has consistently hovered around 40% in most polls. The same poll highlighted that 63% of Black registered voters and 78% of Democratic registered voters in the state give him positive marks for his job performance.
