Super Tuesday boost for Dems: South Carolina primary turnout shatters 2016 level, tops 2008
Voters in 14 states will soon head to the polls for Super Tuesday primaries; check here for early updates
Democrats who were concerned that relatively low voter turnout in the Iowa caucuses meant Democratic voters were not keyed up for the 2020 general election can take heart in the South Carolina primary.
Voter participation in that state’s Democratic primary on Saturday was slightly higher than 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama’s soaring rhetoric and surprise win in Iowa had voters fired up and ready to go.
According to the South Carolina secretary of state’s office, 538,233 ballots were cast in the Democratic primary this year. In 2008, that number was 532,151. Those totals indicate much higher enthusiasm than 2016, when 370,904 people voted in the Democratic primary (73% of them for Hillary Clinton).
Latest poll results:California, here they come: Sanders dominates new USA TODAY/Suffolk poll of Super Tuesday’s prize
And the lack of minority candidates did not appear to dampen the enthusiasm of the state’s large African-American voting bloc. In 2008, black voters accounted for 55% of the votes cast in South Carolina’s Democratic primary, according to exit polls. In 2020, the number was 56%.
That was down from 2016, when exit polls found that black voters cast 61% of the Democratic primary ballots. But because the overall turnout was about 43% higher this year, roughly 60,000 more black voters participated than in 2016.
If voter turnout in the 14 Super Tuesday states is comparable to that in South Carolina, Democrats have reason to be optimistic that those enthusiastic voters will also show up at the polls in November.
– William Cummings
Who will inherit Pete Buttigieg’s supporters?
Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg called it quits just two days before one of the largest contests of the primary cycle – leaving his supporters looking for a new candidate.
Buttigieg’s exit could bring a significant shift to the race, as he was one of several moderate candidates running to win many of the same voters. Will his supporters flock to fellow center-left Democrats, such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Vice President Joe Biden or Michael Bloomberg?
Or could the more progressive candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, benefit from the now unattached voters?
It’s unclear how Buttigieg’s announcement will affect Sanders, who is still the national front-runner.
With Buttigieg out, moderate voters could coalesce around one candidate rather than spreading across three or four candidates. Sanders, who is supported by a largely more progressive sect of the Democratic Party, could see a slimmer margin between him and more moderate candidates in upcoming primaries.
Biden and Buttigieg spoke sometime after the former mayor announced he was suspending his campaign, according to the Biden campaign.
For a closer look, see our analysis: With Pete Buttigieg out, which candidate is primed to inherit his supporters?
– Rebecca Morin