Biden cruised to victory in the first official Democratic primary, and now eyes the general election as he marches towards renomination.
victory to President Joe Biden in the nation’s first official Democratic primary election.
The incumbent president won 96 percent of the vote on Feb. 3 with 75 percent of votes counted. The president had faced only token opposition from Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and author Marianne Williamson who each gained approximately 2 percent of the vote.
President Biden addressed supporters by telephone who had gathered for a watch party in the city. “Thanks, everybody. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. You’re not rid of me. I’m coming back,” he said, to cheers and applause from attendees.
The victory sets the stage for a general election contest between one incumbent and an incumbent-like former president, Donald Trump, though neither has yet been officially named as their party’s nominee. President Trump is expected to defeat South Carolina’s former governor, Nikki Haley, in South Carolina’s upcoming Republican primary on Feb. 24.
A Resounding Victory—But Does It Matter?
The Palmetto State has often been good to President Biden. He carried the state in the 2020 Democratic primary with 48 percent of the vote in a 7-person field.
That was more than double the vote received by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent seeking the Democratic nomination who had previously won the New Hampshire primary. Pete Buttigieg, now secretary of transportation, had until then carried Iowa’s Democratic caucuses. South Carolina made the difference then, though perhaps not now.
A Resounding Victory—But Does It Matter?
The Palmetto State has often been good to President Biden. He carried the state in the 2020 Democratic primary with 48 percent of the vote in a 7-person field.
That was more than double the vote received by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent seeking the Democratic nomination who had previously won the New Hampshire primary. Pete Buttigieg, now secretary of transportation, had until then carried Iowa’s Democratic caucuses. South Carolina made the difference then, though perhaps not now.
By Lawrence Wilson and Nathan Worcester
