Hillary Clinton wins South Carolina Democratic presidential primary
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton greets the crowd as she arrives for a campaign event at Miles College Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Fairfield, Ala.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves as he arrives to a campaign rally at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016.
COLUMBIA, S.C. » Hillary Clinton sailed to a commanding victory over Bernie Sanders in today’s South Carolina primary, drawing overwhelming support from the state’s black Democrats and putting her in strong position as the race barrels toward Super Tuesday’s crucial contests.
Clinton’s win provided an important boost for her campaign — and a moment to wipe away bitter memories of her loss to Barack Obama in South Carolina eight years ago.
During a raucous victory rally, Clinton briefly reveled in her sweeping support from South Carolina voters, then quickly looked ahead to the contests to come.
“Tomorrow this campaign goes national,” she said. “We are not taking anything, and we are not taking anyone, for granted.”
Sanders, expecting defeat on Saturday, left the state even before voting was finished and turned his attention to some of the states that vote in next Tuesday’s delegate-rich contests. In a statement, Sanders vowed to fight on aggressively.
“This campaign is just beginning,” he said. “Our grass-roots political revolution is growing state by state, and we won’t stop now.”
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Clinton’s victory came at the end of a day that saw Republican candidates firing insults at each other from Super Tuesday states. Donald Trump, working to build an insurmountable lead, was campaigning in Arkansas with former rival Chris Christie and calling Marco Rubio a “light little nothing;” Ted Cruz was asking parents in Atlanta if they would be pleased if their children spouted profanities like the brash billionaire, and Rubio was mocking Trump as a “con artist” with “the worst spray tan in America.”
Clinton allies quickly touted the breadth of her victory. Besides blacks, she won most women and voters aged 30 and older, according to early exit polls.
Sanders continued to do well with young voters, his most passionate supporters. He also carried those who identified themselves as independent and most white voters.
A self-described democratic socialist, Sanders has energized his supporters with impassioned calls for breaking up Wall Street banks and making tuition free at public colleges and universities. But the senator from Vermont, a state where about 1 percent of the population is black, lacks Clinton’s deep ties to the African-American community.
While Sanders spent the end of the week outside of South Carolina, his campaign did invest heavily in the state. He had 200 paid staff on the ground and an aggressive television advertising campaign.
Exit polls showed 6 in 10 voters in the South Carolina primary were black. About 7 in 10 said they wanted the next president to continue Obama’s policies, and only about 20 percent wanted a more liberal course of action, according to exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
Clinton’s sweeping victory suggested South Carolina voters had put aside any lingering tensions from her heated 2008 contest with Obama. Former President Bill Clinton made statements during that campaign that were seen by some, including influential South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, as questioning the legitimacy of the black presidential contender.
This time around, Clyburn endorsed Clinton, and her husband was well-received as he traveled the state on her behalf. She focused on issues with particular resonance in the black community and held an emotional event with black mothers whose children died in shootings.
Clinton’s second White House bid lurched to an uneven start, with a narrow victory over Sanders in Iowa and a crushing loss to the senator in New Hampshire. She pulled off a 5-point win over Sanders in last week’s Nevada caucus, a crucial victory that helped stem Sanders’ momentum.
Clinton’s campaign hopes her strong showing in South Carolina foreshadows similar outcomes in states like Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia that vote Tuesday and have large minority populations.
Taken together, 865 Democratic delegates are up for grabs in the Super Tuesday contests in 11 states and American Samoa. Sanders is hoping to stay close to Clinton in the South while focusing most of his attention on states in the Midwest and Northeast, including his home state of Vermont.
Sanders has built a massive network of small donors and has the money to stay in the race deep into the spring. Still, Clinton’s campaign sees a chance to build enough of a delegate lead to put the race out of reach during the sprint through March.
Clinton’s will pick up most of South Carolina’s delegates, widening her overall lead in AP’s count. With 53 delegates at stake, Clinton will receive at least 31. Sanders picked up at least 12.
Going into South Carolina, Clinton had just a one-delegate edge over Sanders. However, she also has a massive lead among superdelegates, the Democratic Party leaders who can vote for the candidate of their choice at this summer’s national convention, regardless of how their states vote.
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Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey in Austin, Texas, and Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this report.
29 responses to “Hillary Clinton wins South Carolina Democratic presidential primary”
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In a sane world neither of these two would get close to being a presidential nominee. One is a committed Marxist and the other has more ethical baggage than her husband, as improbable as that sounds.
I concur. Needs to explain those multi-million dollar international contributions to her foundation. Brings too much baggage to the White House. Same for the Saudi family’s influence in the House of Bush. Yarmie president? Naaaah. Immature kid like Trump. Forget it. Maybe stay at home this time or mail in a ballot with no vote for either candidate.
Too much Republican BS
wow -amazingly presented and thoughtful argument.
There is no comparison with the Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Come on Bernie Benghazi, Whitewater, Clinton Foundation and classified emails. Plenty of ammunition. Let’s get serious.
So much dirt on Hillary. The GOP candidate will eat her alive in a debate. Game over.
Her Foundation was never her personal money. It is a separate entity. I don’t like Hillary’s hawkish pro-Israeli military policies but she is far better than the dangerous, hateful Republicans running for the Presidency. She gets my vote.
I will be voting for Bernie at the democratic caucus on Feb. 26. Hopefully he will pull an upset and go onto the general. I don’t like the idea of an old Neocon coming out in support of Hillary. I also think that Hillary tends to be a little too hawkish. But outside of the Donald, there is no republican I would even consider.
At least Americans are running on the democratic side. To think that the republicans could chose a Canadian anchor baby is just a bit ironic I think. lol
Wall Street fears her. Wall street has contributed so much more to the Republicans. They know that she is going to toughen up dodd-frank.
At least the democratic debates, forums, etc tend to be civilized and high class. While I am for Bernie, I don’t hate Hillary or consider her the devil like the republican candidates tend to feel for their opponents. Republicans show such class when they imply an opponent peed in their pants.
Civilized and high class? Uhhhh…okay I’ll give you that one but I don’t know why. The worst part is that the democrat candidates are too old and too white.
Well at least they are American. Sure beats having a Canadian anchor baby. Or the least liked person in the US senate. 🙂
I am voting for Hillary. She is not perfect by any means but I prefer her to empty promises Bernie and the hateful, dangerous lunatics running as Republicans.
And what empty promises are those? Frankly Hillary makes me nervous ever since that Neocon came out in support of her. Who is next? GW? Hillary has a problem as far as I am concerned. She has a lack of judgement. She supported GW’s idiotic war. If anyone should have known better it should have been her but she didn’t. Rather put up with a few promises that are not met than having to deal with more bad judgement. Last thing we need is to go bomb bomb bomb another area half way around the world.
Trump is the best
Why?
You’re voting for someone responsible for deaths in Benghazi. Hillary told the four families bold faced lies.
Not a huge Hillary fan, but she has the best political and debating skills of any candidate. Her dismanteling of the Republicans in the Benghazi hearings is a case in point. Emails, etc. haven’t made much of an impression, except on the wingnuts who wouldn’t vote for her anyway. The reckless false claims made by the GOP contenders will come back to kill them in TV spots and debates with Clinton.
Republicans were pretty pathetic at those Benghazi hearings. What a waste of time.
Been watching the debates and town hall meetings from both sides i think Clinton and Sanders are better over the other side, however when it comes down to both of them i think Clinton with her so called baggage good and bad may have the experience over Sanders. Going to be really exciting from here on out.
And what experience does she have exactly that Bernie doesn’t? We know Hillary’s judgement is not as good as Bernie’s. Hillary supported GW’s stupid war. Has she learned from that experience? I don’t know but I suspect not. She supported mass incarceration while I believe Bernie did not. She may be intelligent and she knows her facts but this is not a substitute for good judgement.
Must be the same folks who voted for NoBama… twice.
Forgive them Lord for they never learn.
Looks like it’s all over folks. It’s Donald vs Hillary in November and should make for a very interesting and entertaining battle between the two. Super Tuesday will clinch it for both.
I don’t know. A lot of the republican big wigs don’t care for him. They might try to bring back the Pizza man. lol
Don’t throw in the towel yet, Butinski! Everyone knew Bernie wasn’t going to do well in South Carolina, even Bernie knew, that’s why he never stepped foot in SC, and went to other states for supporters.
If you are a republican you have to admit that your party is in serious trouble. Your candidates cannot have a serious and civil discussion. They yell and berate each other like kindergarteners. Seriously how can you support any of the candidates that are your party’s front runners. I watch the debates because I love comedy and there is nothing more entertaining than the GOP debates. Moe Trump, Larry Cruz and Curly Rubio.
Trump will get votes from both parties. Too many disgusted democrats will turn the tide. Nobody watches the liar versus the socialist love fest. Boring