Exit polls show South Carolina's black voters overwhelmingly backed Biden
Former Vice President Joe Biden was quickly declared the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary winner even as votes continue to roll in Saturday night, and he owes his victory in large part to the state's African American voters.
More than half of South Carolina's Democratic voters this year were black, and among the demographic the vice president received a whopping 64 percent support rate. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was closest at 15 percent.
Updated exit poll, with more interviews conducted has African Americans at 57% of the SC Dem electorate, voting:
Biden 64%
Sanders 15%
Steyer 13%— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) March 1, 2020
This is no surprise for Biden who — despite his struggles in the three previous early voting states — has long been counting on South Carolina's African American voters to back him Saturday.
The vice president did well in most exit poll categories, per CNN, though Sanders fared better with younger voters, as he normally does. Turnout numbers will help tell the full story.
Black voters--esp. from church communities--brought Biden to his South Carolina win. Considering the generational divide in the African-American vote I'm curious to see figures for YOUNG turnout in today's primary.
— Yoonj Kim (@YoonjKim) March 1, 2020
Biden also received more votes from people who made their choice based on issues and those who are prioritizing beating Trump in November. Check out more exit poll numbers at CNN.
More stories from theweek.com
It's not 1972 and Bernie Sanders isn't George McGovern
Coronavirus might be the end of international travel as we know it
It's 2020 and women are exhausted
