The atmosphere in South Carolina, where the first official primary to select the U.S. Democratic presidential candidate will be held in November, appears to be heating up little by little.
When News 1 landed at the airport near Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, on the 1st (local time) and moved to the city center, there was hardly any election atmosphere to be found, as there were no signs for candidates from each party that would normally be present ahead of a primary election.
However, the atmosphere at the early voting center located near the Richland County Office Building, which I happened to visit, was completely different. This is because voters who came to vote in the Democratic primary were lined up about 10 meters outside the polling place. Even while News 1 was on site to report, Democratic voters continued to flock to the polling place to cast their votes.
“Our county has about 290,000 voters, which makes us the third largest in the state,” said Richland County voter registration director Travis Alexander.
Most of the voters who visited the polling place here were black voters. It was about 9 out of 10 people. In particular, the majority were elderly voters in their 60s and 70s.
On the 1st (local time), two days before the South Carolina primary, which will select the Democratic presidential candidate for the U.S. presidential election in November, Democratic voters lined up at an early voting center in Richland County, Columbia, the capital. is standing The photo is inside the early voting booth. 2024.02.01According to the South Carolina government, as of 2021, Richland County’s population composition is black at 47.1%, followed by white (40.2%), Hispanic (5.6%), and Asian (2.9%).
It was a point where one could guess why President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election, is struggling to rally the votes of black voters in South Carolina.
During the 2020 presidential primary, President Biden was hit by the popular opinion, taking 4th and 5th place in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively, in the early stages, but then achieved a landslide victory in South Carolina, taking first place, creating an opportunity for a turnaround.
According to US media such as the Associated Press, 64% of black voters in South Carolina at the time supported President Biden. This was essentially a ‘lack of votes’ compared to only 33% of white voters who voted for President Biden.
However, black voter support for President Biden has fallen significantly. In a poll conducted by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago Public Opinion Research Center (NORC) conducted in November and December last year, only 50% of black adults supported President Biden. This figure is significantly lower than the 86% in the July 2021 survey.
Therefore, President Biden is focusing on changing the minds of black voters in South Carolina, which signaled the beginning of an anti-war drama by rallying black votes this year.
On the 1st (local time), two days before the South Carolina primary, which will select the Democratic presidential candidate for the U.S. presidential election in November, Sandra Smith met at an early voting center in Richland County, Columbia, the capital, for a photo shoot. Posing. 2024.02.01President Biden held one of his first campaign events this year at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on the 8th of last month, and at a fundraising dinner hosted by the Democratic Party held in South Carolina on the 27th of the same month, he targeted black voters by saying, “The people of South Carolina.” Without this I wouldn’t be here. “You are the reason I am president,” he said.
Almost all Democratic voters met at early voting booths supported President Joe Biden. The reasons for supporting President Biden were largely rooted in strong resistance to former President Trump.
Sandra Smith, a 58-year-old black woman, said, “I came to vote for President Biden. “Because the rest of our options are terrible,” he said. “I don’t like Trump. Trump is a man who only cares about himself. “He’s here because he doesn’t want to put Trump back in office,” she said.
Fogg Daly, who said he was 70 years old, said, “President Biden is a great leader, while Trump does not provide stability and is not truthful. “He is not a good leader,” he said. “It may be a very narrow margin, but President Biden will ultimately win (in the general election).”
John Sims, a 72-year-old black man, said, “President Biden will win this presidential election. “He has a sense of balance, and I approve of his leadership and what he has done for this country,” he said. “Trump has created many problems while serving as president, and now that he has been indicted, I don’t know if he is qualified to be a candidate.”
Andrew Gillian, another man in his 70s, said, “If you say President Biden is a perfect person, then Trump is a person full of madness. “I abhor Trump’s madness,” he said, adding, “It seems that our choices (in the general election) will ultimately be limited to two people, so ultimately choosing President Biden is a better choice for us.”
A white woman in her 70s who visited the polling place with her husband also pointed out that the Democratic Party’s South Carolina primary was a ‘waste of time’ and said, “But we only went to the polling place to show that our support for President (Biden) and his administration is significant.” He explained that he had found it.
Most of the voters who met at the polling place shook their heads at the point that black voters’ support for President Biden was not the same as before, but some seemed to sympathize.
“I don’t think President Biden is losing votes from black voters,” said Shelly, a 65-year-old black woman. “My family supports President Biden 100%, and so do our neighbors,” Daley said, “Not at all.” That’s something you don’t know. Here, the percentage of blacks in the Republican Party is very small. “Most black people still support the Democratic Party,” he claimed.
A photo of 70-year-old Fogg Daley at an early voting center in Richland County, Columbia, the capital, on the 1st (local time), two days before the South Carolina primary, which will select the Democratic presidential candidate for the U.S. presidential election in November. Posing for a photo shoot. 2024.02.01In contrast, Gillian said, “I don’t think President Biden is losing votes from black voters, but of course there are people who are worried,” and a white woman in her 70s also said, “I’m not sure why.” “I don’t know, but it seems like (such an atmosphere) exists,” he said.
Smith, a woman in her 50s, also expressed some sympathy and urged black voters to actively participate in voting. “We have to realize now that we can’t play with voting,” he said. I hope they come to their senses. “Not voting for President Biden is voting for Trump,” she said.
Some voters also expressed concerns about President Biden’s ‘old age’ issue.
Gillian said, “A lot of people say Biden is too old,” and Simest Brunk, who appears to be in his 60s, also said about the reason why President Biden’s approval rating is not rising, “I don’t think there are many reasons. “I think it’s because (President Biden) is older,” he said.
Regarding this, Daley said, “Age is not important, but experience is very important,” and “President Biden has a lot of experience and a great team around him. He can also work with the Republican Party. “He will win (in the finals) not because he is old, but because he is a great leader,” he said.
(Columbia=News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.