SC Democratic Party stops in Greenville to rally voters. 'South Carolina looks like America.'

The Palmetto State will be going first in the nation to vote in the presidential primary preference election on Feb. 3. Early voting kicked off on Monday, Jan. 22. The state was chosen to replace Iowa last year after South Carolina helped deliver the nomination to President Joe Biden in 2020.

Ahead of the election just two weeks away, the South Carolina Democratic Party stopped in Greenville County to rally voters. Local elected leaders like Rep. Wendell Jones, Rep. Chandra Dillard and Greenville County Councilman Ennis Fant all attended and spoke at the event.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina spoke, explaining the importance of the election.

“South Carolina looks like America,” Fant said. “And that’s why it’s a great place for the first primary to be.”

During the event, Cooper spoke of the differences in leadership between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden. Serving his second term, Cooper has experience working under both administrations – and he says the difference is “night and day.”

“The governors of this country had to step up and make sure that we did the right thing to protect people’s lives and make sure that we protected jobs as much as we possibly could. That was very difficult to do with him,” Cooper said, referring to Trump. “The difference is night and day, particularly in people who are leaders who know how to get things done versus leaders who specialize in creating chaos.”

South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley also spoke briefly about the importance of voting in the Democratic primary as opposed to the Republican primary. In South Carolina, a state that holds separate primaries, you can only vote in one party’s election.

“I have heard good Democrats say to me, ‘I’m going to vote in the Republican primary because I’m going to stop Donald Trump by voting for Nikki Haley,’” Parmley said. “She is as bad as Donald Trump.”

The party expressed that it was important to vote in South Carolina’s Democratic primary to show the state’s support for the current president.

Savannah covers Greenville County politics and growth/development. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on X @savmoss.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SCDP visits Greenville County ahead of presidential primary preference