The South Carolina Democratic primaries on Feb. 29, 2020, represented a pivotal moment in the race for U.S. president. As the “First in the South,” the primaries are a key indicator of what to expect moving into Super Tuesday, when 14 states assign delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Furthermore, South Carolina is distinctive it in that most of its Democratic voter base is African American, so the election gives insight into the preferences of a critical contingency. Leading into South Carolina, Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vermont) had a substantial lead in the delegate count. However, Joe Biden was hot on his heels. The former vice president is popular among black voters in South Carolina, and he spent much of his time and resources over the past year in the state. To win South Carolina was critical to the Biden campaign.
On the Wednesday prior to the election, U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (S.C.) endorsed Joe Biden. Clyburn’s support was a turning point in the campaign. Clyburn’s support was a major coup to Joe Biden, who needed a win in South Carolina to stay afloat before Super Tuesday.
Sanders appeared in highly-visible Finlay Park in downtown Columbia on the day before the primaries, calling for radical change in American politics. Five of the eight candidates were in Columbia in the days leading up to the election.
As the votes came in on Saturday, it became apparent that Biden would win the South Carolina primaries. After securing a landslide win, Biden appeared before his supporters in the University of South Carolina Volleyball Center in a nationally-televised celebration. The vote proved monumental for Biden, who went on to win a majority of the states on Super Tuesday and secure the support of many of the nominees, such as Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, who dropped out of the race in the days following the South Carolina election.
Alexander Wyatt
Growing up, my dad always had a camera with him, and he would often let me experiment with it. I was always interested in photography, but I never got serious about it until college. I’m a visual communications major. Recently, I have been making a lot of black and white photos with a Sony s6300 and a 35mm lens. You can see some of my photography on my Instagram (@alextwyatt).