By Abraham Kenmore
COLUMBIA — President Joe Biden will return to South Carolina in two weeks to headline the state Democratic Party’s celebratory dinner ahead of its presidential primary.
The “First in the Nation Celebration” on Jan. 27 is exactly one week before South Carolina’s primary, the first recognized by the national party and the first with Biden on the ballot.
Biden’s expected to win against two little-known candidates. But Democrats want a strong showing of support for him in a state where Black voters make up a majority of its base. Their get-out-the-vote effort here follows national polls that show a big drop in enthusiasm for Biden among Black voters.
“The president recognizes that South Carolina voters matter. Black voters matter. And Southern voters matter,” state Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain and executive director Jay Parmley said in a joint statement.
“We are grateful to him for honoring his commitment to our state and to our party by coming back to the place that started his road to the White House,” they continued. “For the first time ever, the backbone of the Democratic Party — Black voters — will choose who they want in the White House first.”
New Hampshire, where just 2% of the population is Black, snubbed the party’s calendar changes by deciding to hold a primary ahead of South Carolina anyway. But to show his disapproval, Biden refused to register for it.
The dinner is Biden’s second campaign visit to South Carolina this month. He was in Charleston on Monday for a campaign speech at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where he reminded voters of the 2015 massacre there of nine Black worshipers by a white supremacist.
He also recognized U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn and South Carolina’s Black voters as the reason he’s in the White House.
Clyburn, whose endorsement ahead of South Carolina’s 2020 primary proved crucial for turning the momentum in Biden’s favor, will be at the dinner. Others attending include Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison of South Carolina.
Biden’s long-shot rivals, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and author Marianne Williamson, have also been invited to the event, according to a press release from the state party.
“This dinner will be a night of celebration for the historic role the Palmetto State now plays in our party’s nominating process,” Spain and Parmley said in their statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris has also made two trips to South Carolina this month.
She addressed the 7th Episcopal District AME Church Women’s Missionary Society in Myrtle Beach earlier this month. Monday, she was the keynote speaker at the NAACP’s annual King Day at the Dome at the Statehouse. This event honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. has become a mainstay of Democratic presidential campaigns.
The Republicans will hold their primary on Feb. 24.
Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.
