If Biden drops out of the presidential race, who would SC’s Democratic delegates support?

Democratic National Convention delegates from the state that catapulted Joe Biden to the White House in 2020 want to stick with the president amid calls from within the party for him to step aside, according to survey of more than half of South Carolina’s DNC delegates.

But if Biden were to step aside from the nomination and open up next month’s convention in Chicago, the more than 3,900 delegates then decide who the party’s nominee would be.

Not all of South Carolina’s delegates would even entertain the notion of a change at the top of the Democratic ticket. Nor would some say if they have a favorite candidate if Biden relinquished the nomination.

But only the vice president’s name was mentioned by those delegates willing to identify a preferred replacement.

Biden never faced any serious challenge during this cycle’s Democratic nominating process, receiving 3,896 pledged delegates to the convention.

“We have a process — the people have spoken and they overwhelming support him,” said Melissa Watson, a DNC delegate from Berkeley County.

If Biden stepped aside, a “mini-primary” may take place allowing hopefuls to give their pitches for the nominations. Candidates could include current administration officials such as Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg and Vice President Kamala Harris, or governors such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Even though Biden publicly has insisted he’s staying the race, media reports suggest the president is now asking if his staffers think Harris could win. Calls for Biden to step aside have increased as donors to his campaign freeze contributions. Former President Barack Obama has told allies that Biden doesn’t have a viable path to victory, the Washington Post reported.

Pushes for Biden to step aside have festered since his poor performance in the June 27 debate with the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. Questions about whether Biden can still do the job at his age and whether Biden could beat Trump for a second time grew louder.

A lack of enthusiasm at the top of the ticket could have Democrats worrying they could lose seats in the U.S. House and lose control of the U.S. Senate if Biden is at the top of the ticket. Even in South Carolina, where straight-party ticket voting has favored Republicans, a lack of enthusiasm for Biden among Democratic voters could lead to even bigger majorities for Republicans in the state Legislature.

A new Associated Press-NORC poll showed 65% of Democrats think Biden should step aside. The poll was taken before the attempted assassination of Trump.

But among the South Carolina’s 55 delegates to the Democratic National Convention reached by The State newspaper, most say they don’t think Biden should step aside.

“He’s worked hard to get here. He’s done a lot in the last four years,” said Bre Spaulding, a delegate from Richland County. “And we know he’s capable of being a great president.”

Delegates point to Biden’s experience, which comes with his age.

“President Biden has a record to run on and I’m not going to let 90 minutes overstep over 40 years of public service that President Biden has given to this country,” said Jaheem McLaurin, a delegate from Marlboro County.

McLaurin pointed to Biden’s appointment of the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, efforts to fight the climate crisis, giving student loan forgiveness and signing gun safety legislation.

“This president has a record to run on,” McLaurin said.

Marcurius Byrd, who briefly worked for Marianne Williamson’s 2024 presidential campaign, even echoed a sentiment made by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s highest ranking Democrat.

“Right now, I’m ridin’ with Biden,” said Byrd, a delegate from Richland County.

Clyburn repeated the same message Thursday during a visit Thursday to Denmark Technical College with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

“Wherever (Biden) goes in this process is where I’m going,” Clyburn said according to the S.C. Daily Gazette. “I was asked the other day what would it take for me to change my mind. It will take him changing his.”

A group of Democrats have been calling on Biden to drop out of the race, including U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, who is the most prominent member of Congress to make a public call for Biden to step aside.

One Democrat on the November ballot in South Carolina has publicly called on Biden to drop out: Michael B. Moore, who is running against U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Isle of Palms, in the Lowcountry 1st Congressional District. Even though the district favors Republicans, it is the most competitive congressional district in the state.

“This is the most consequential election of our lifetime. What happens this November will set our country and our democracy on one of two courses, and the outcomes will be felt for generations to come,” Moore said in a statement. “The party needs to come together to identify and rally around a new nominee, and look to President Biden’s experience as the only candidate to beat Donald Trump less than four years ago.”

Who would South Carolina’s DNC delegates support

If Biden stepped aside, delegates at the convention would be in a position to elect another nominee. In a state where Black voters make up more than 60% of Democratic primary voters, those in the delegation willing to comment said they would want to nominate Harris, the first Black woman to serve as vice president.

“She is the sitting person in the chain of command. Why not go forward with the chain of command. She served California well. She served the U.S. well,” said Richland County delegate Carlton Boyd, who doesn’t think Biden should step aside.

Black voters are a key voting bloc for the Democratic Party, but polling has shown support for Biden dropping within the group, even though he has a majority of Black support. According to Pew Research, one in five Black men plan to vote for Trump this year.

Bypassing Harris would most likely hurt Democrats’ credibility with Black voters.

“She is beyond capable and qualified,” outgoing state Rep. Ivory Thigpen, D-Richland, who is attending the convention as an at-large delegate. “I do believe if presented with that opportunity she would not only rise to the occasion but that she would serve with excellence.”

Thigpen said the decision on whether Biden steps aside is the president’s alone.

“We have a vice president — if (Biden) was to step aside it would only make sense that she would step up,” said Watson, the delegate from Berkeley County.

Harris’ could take over the campaign account, which has $91 million in the bank as of May 31, according to Federal Elections Commission records.

“My first instinct is to nominate the vice president because she is already on the ticket, and already on the FEC forms,” said Austin Jackson of Richland County.

Not all of the delegates are ready to jump on board with Harris, and would wait for guidance from some the party’s leading figures if the nomination was in play.

“At that point I would look for leadership from our great Jim Clyburn,” said Angelia Edwards of Spartanburg County.

Ahead of the 2020 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, Clyburn, the state’s highest ranking Democrat, endorsed Biden who had lost the first three nominating contests at that point.

Some S.C. delegates wouldn’t give a preferred choice, hoping a competitive process occurs.

“There should be an open process (where) candidates emerge and are able to speak and campaign in whatever way that would be in a short period,” Charleston County’s Lachlan McIntosh said, who added it would be important for the and the country for it to happen in that fashion.

Delegate Kathryn Harvey, who also is the Democratic nominee in the Upstate 4th Congressional District, said she doesn’t think Biden should step aside and stability is needed at the top of the ticket. But she also added she doesn’t have a favorite candidate if Biden opted out.

“I don’t have somebody immediately at the top right now,” Harvey said. “It’s something I would need to think about and really weigh.”

Some say they haven’t even considered the possibility of having to vote for a new nominee at the convention and wouldn’t contemplate another option.

“I don’t know because I haven’t been presented with that option yet, and I don’t even want to speculate,” said Cody Lidge of Richland County.

At the end of the day, the decision on whether to exit the race lies with Biden, even though he has said publicly he isn’t stepping aside, despite the growing worry around his candidacy.

“It’s his decision to make,” said Chaquez McCall, who didn’t advocate for Biden to drop out. “He should listen to the concerns some people have.”

But if the president stepped aside, McCall has his way of determining who he would back at the convention.

It would be “whoever Joe Biden tells me to support,” McCall said.

Reporters Margaret Walker and Anna Wilder contributed to this article.