Sanders supporters denounce news outlets calling SC primary for Biden ‘with 0%’ of the vote
WASHINGTON – The phrase “with 0%” was trending on Twitter Saturday, after multiple media outlets declared former Vice President Joe Biden the winner of the South Carolina primary solely based on exit polling that showed him the overwhelming victor.
The early call infuriated many supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, who finished a distant second.
“Hey look, NYT says Joe Biden won South Carolina with 0% of precincts reporting!” tweeted actress Cynthia Nixon, a progressive and failed 2018 New York gubernatorial candidate who has endorsed Sanders.
Several Sanders’ supporters claimed the call indicated a news media conspiracy against the self-described democratic socialist from Vermont, implying the call was based on nothing but wishful thinking.
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Others cited the contrast between the early call in South Carolina with the longer wait following Sanders’ decisive win in the Nevada caucuses.
“Media waited for hours – and way after a meaningful amount of Nevada results had come in – before calling it for Bernie,” tweeted journalist Jordan Uhl. They then denigrated him with vicious anti-Semitic smears. Tonight, with 0% in, media not only calls it for Biden but gleefully declare him the front-runner.”
“This isn’t to say this is some deeply insidious plot but it’s important to acknowledge these stark differences,” Uhl added.
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Pollster Frank Luntz disputed those claims.
“Nevada was immediately called for @BernieSanders,” Luntz tweeted. “South Carolina was immediately called for @JoeBiden because it was numerically impossible for anyone to overtake him after the biggest precincts were counted.”
