Biden is expected to win again with a significant majority in the upcoming US elections on November 5.
US President Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, the first officially sanctioned race of the party's nominating season, and results show him edging out two other candidates, according to Edison Research.
The vote was closely watched due to concerns about Biden's popularity, particularly among black voters.
Edison Research predicted Biden would win shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m. EST on Saturday and his margin of victory remained stable as the night wore on. Reuters reported.
Biden won 116,266 votes, or 96.4% of 120,643 votes, ahead of his main rivals: Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson. However, turnout fell short of expectations: Democratic officials expected between 100,000 and 200,000 total votes.
In a victory statement, the Biden campaign said: “In 2020, it was South Carolina voters who proved the experts wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and put us on the path to winning the presidency.
“Now, in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that they have put us on the path to winning the presidency again and making Donald Trump a loser,” the campaign said in a release.
Biden, an unpopular president, is expected to win again with a significant majority in the upcoming US elections on November 5.
In addition to campaign fears that South Carolina's predominantly black electorate might not be motivated this time, there were also questions about his age and concerns about high consumer prices and security along the U.S. border. Mexico.
Former President Donald Trump, 77, is the favorite for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the general election.
South Carolina, where more than half of its Democratic electorate is black, has not supported a Democrat since 1976, presenting a crucial test of Biden's appeal given his typical nine-to-one support for Democrats in races. presidential.
Some South Carolina voters were lukewarm about Biden's re-election bid.
“Sometimes I wonder if his presence is enough because you don't see him much, you don't hear him much,” said Martin Orr, 52, a school administrator from McConnells, South Carolina, speaking of Biden, whom he planned to support in the election. .
“Is he calm because of his age or his physical condition, or because of what he's going through? I think that's what worries a lot of people right now.”
