The apparent lack of enthusiasm came despite pleas from the president and other top Democrats to turn out in force today, after the party made South Carolina the first state in the country to hold a Democratic presidential election this year.
Ron Horn votes in the South Carolina Democratic primary.credit: Farah Tomazin
“President Biden and I are counting on you,” Vice President Kamala Harris told the crowd during a “Get Out the Vote” rally at South Carolina State University on Friday (Saturday AEDT).
Retired teacher Ron Horn answered the call and voted for Biden because he considered the president “an honorable man.” But it also raised concerns about what might happen if the president, now 81, was forced to suddenly withdraw from the race.
“Unfortunately, the vice president is very unpopular, so you would think they would have a replacement nominee in mind if that happened, but that doesn't seem to be the case,” Horn said in the key announcement.
“I'm also worried about what might happen if Trump comes back again. “This country has never been more divided.”
However, former party official Chris Salley has decided not to vote in the primary contest, and will likely use his vote in November to pick a longshot third-party candidate over Trump or Biden: theologian and progressive activist Cornel West.
Salley used to be chairman of the Democratic Party in Anderson County, South Carolina, but resigned from the position in October over concerns about Biden's response to the war in Gaza, the president's age, and what he views as undemocratic processes in the primary race.
“It's the election that no one wanted, but everyone won,” says former Democrat Chris Salley.
“Instead of South Carolina being first in a competitive primary, we ended up being first in,” he said in the headline, noting the lack of debates or town hall events that give young and black voters a chance to have their say. .
“We were not at the level of the First Nation to really have our voice heard,” the 31-year-old said. “We were here to protect the president.”
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Biden's victory puts him one step closer to being announced as the presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention in August.
However, South Carolina is a Republican-leaning state and is unlikely to be a major battleground in the general election later this year.
Still, Democrats who gathered at a watch party in North Charleston as voting began were thrilled by the president's certain victory and optimistic about his chances against Trump.
“Experience is what you get with age,” said scholar Donald Barry, referring to concerns that Biden is too old for another term in office.
“But what you don't get with age is stupidity — unless you're his opponent. Most of us know Donald Trump for what he is: a charlatan and a liar.
All eyes are now on South Carolina's Republican primary on February 24, when former Gov. Nikki Haley once again takes on Trump in a bid to win the presidential nomination.
The former UN ambassador faces an uphill battle after finishing third in the Iowa caucuses, then trailing Trump by 11 points in the New Hampshire primary.
She has intensified her attacks in recent days, highlighting everything from Trump's age and verbal gaffes, to his legal troubles and “tantrums.”
“I'm not going anywhere,” she said Thursday. “We have a country to save. I am determined to go the whole way. As long as we can continue to close this gap, I will continue to stay in it.”
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