By WILL WEISSERT and MEG KINNARD
Updated 9:30 AM CST, February 3, 2024
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden is looking for an easy victory Saturday in South Carolina’s Democratic primary that officially kicks off his party’s nominating process, validating a new lineup he championed to better empower Black voters who helped revive his 2020 campaign.
Biden is overwhelmingly favored against Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson. Yet the long and sometimes contentious process that saw the Democratic National Committee officially replace Iowa with South Carolina in its presidential primary’s leadoff spot has made what’s unfolding noteworthy.
The GOP’s South Carolina primary is Feb. 24.
Arguing that voters of color should play a larger role in determining the Democratic presidential nominee, Biden championed a calendar beginning in South Carolina. The state is reliably Republican, but 26% of its residents are Black.
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https://apnews.com/article/biden-south-carolina-democratic-primary-2024-554e75d9d2014e28bdb4dfc1fae5d4e4