ELECTIONS

OnPolitics: Joe Biden clinched victory in South Carolina. What's next?

USA TODAY

Hello OnPolitics readers! President Joe Biden easily secured first place in the South Carolina Democratic primary over the weekend as he seeks to unite the party around his reelection bid.

Though Biden, 81, still faces concerns about his age and ability to fire up young voters, his overwhelming victory in South Carolina shows he’s facing no serious opposition from challengers, USA TODAY's Joey Garrison and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy reported.

Here are some takeaways from Biden’s win:

🗳️A big night for Black voters: Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden campaign, said Black voters made up approximately 76% of the early vote in South Carolina this year, compared to 56% in 2020.

❓What's next for Biden's challengers? Author Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., pose no threat to Biden so far, raising questions about how long they plan to stay in the race. Though Phillips won only 1.7% of the vote in South Carolina, he said he is pressing on to challenge the incumbent president.

↪️Get ready for Nevada's primary: While South Carolina gave Biden an opportunity to test his message with Black voters, who dominate the Democratic electorate in the state, Nevada offers a similar opportunity with Latino voters. Nevada, unlike heavily Republican South Carolina, is also a critical battleground state in the general election. The Silver State will holds its Democratic primary on Tuesday.

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