Biden bags key endorsement before S. Carolina primary
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Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden with South Carolina Representative James Clyburn (far right) at Trident Technical College on Wednesday. Mr Clyburn's endorsement of Mr Biden carries weight in a state where African Americans make up about 60 per cent of the Democratic electorate.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
CHARLESTON (South Carolina) • Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden has won the endorsement of an influential black congressman from South Carolina, just three days before the state's primary where he is competing with national front runner Bernie Sanders for the crucial African-American vote.
Representative James Clyburn's endorsement on Wednesday carries weight in a state where African Americans make up about 60 per cent of the Democratic electorate and where Mr Biden is counting on a good showing after a fourth-place finish in Iowa, fifth place in New Hampshire and second in Nevada.
Recent opinion polls show Mr Biden, once the leading Democratic contender, losing ground nationally to the surging Senator Sanders among black voters.
Mr Sanders, a senator from Vermont, has taken command of the Democratic race after his resounding win in Nevada last week. Three days after South Carolina's primary tomorrow, voters in 14 states will go to the polls for the crucial Super Tuesday contests.
At an event in North Charleston on Wednesday, Mr Sanders touted his momentum and went after Mr Biden by name, saying the former vice-president would not be able to generate the turnout needed to defeat Republican President Donald Trump on Nov 3.
"We have come a long, long way," Mr Sanders said of his position in the top two of the state's most recent opinion polls, along with Mr Biden.
Mr Clyburn, the No. 3 Democrat in the House of Representatives, endorsed Mr Biden at a news conference, saying he could "think of no one with the type of integrity, no one more committed to the fundamental principles to make this country what it is, than my good friend".
Mr Biden responded: "I'm here, heart and soul, with everything I've got to earn the support of the people of South Carolina. Nothing is expected or guaranteed."
Most of the Democratic candidates started on Wednesday with speeches at a breakfast in South Carolina hosted by the National Action Network. The event focused on mobilising black church members to vote.
The candidates acknowledged the sharp jabs they threw at one another in Tuesday night's debate, when they repeatedly attacked Mr Sanders, as a risky choice to lead the party in November - but pledged to unify behind one candidate.
Mr Pete Buttigieg, the moderate former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, criticised Mr Sanders for the changing estimates on the costs of his proposals such as government-run healthcare. "I can tell you exactly how it all adds up. It adds up to four more years of Donald Trump," Mr Buttigieg said.
REUTERS
