Procrastinator’s guide: What you need to know for SC’s Democratic presidential primary
South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary is Saturday, Feb. 29, and polls say that as many as 18% of Palmetto State residents may still be undecided on who to vote for.
For our readers who plan to vote in the primary, but still aren’t sure who to pick or, perhaps, who’s even on the ballot (you know who you are), The State has you covered.
Introducing The Procrastinator’s Guide to the S.C. Democratic Presidential Primary.
Read on for details about what to expect Saturday and what you should know before heading to your local polling place.
How do I vote?
South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary will be held on Leap Day, Feb. 29. Voters can cast their ballots at their local polling place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you’re in line by 7 p.m., you can vote. If you’re not sure where you vote, you can check out this nifty tool on the S.C. Election Commission’s website to find your polling place.
You’re also running up on a deadline to vote absentee. In person ballots need to be cast at your local elections office before 5 p.m. today, according to the S.C. Election Commission. If you’re mailing in a ballot, it needs to be at the local county office by 7 p.m. on Feb. 29.
Who’s running?
Seven candidates who will appear on South Carolina ballots are still in the race: former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, businessman Tom Steyer and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Five former candidates, who withdrew from the race after absentee voting started, also will appear on the ballot: Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, John Delaney, Deval Patrick and Andrew Yang.
All have made multiple trips to South Carolina, making appeals to Palmetto State voters at iconic events like U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn’s fish fry, the Galivant’s Ferry Stump and the NAACP’s King Day at the Dome in Columbia.
If you want a deeper look at the candidates, check out our S.C. specific voter guide.
Candidate: Former Vice President Joe Biden
Biden snagged an endorsement this week from Clyburn, one of the most influential endorsers from the Palmetto State. Biden has also maintained the lead in South Carolina throughout the election cycle thanks to his name recognition and popularity among black voters.
Reading:
Jim Clyburn endorses Joe Biden for president days ahead of SC’s primary
Biden releases new SC ad focused on Obama days before Democratic presidential primary
Winthrop Poll: Joe Biden still top pick of SC Democrats but challengers closing in
Biden at SC church service: ‘I don’t expect anything. I’m here to earn your vote.’
Joe Biden’s grip on SC’s 2020 primary loosens as Bernie Sanders sees post NH bump
‘Tell them it ain’t over’: Joe Biden looks past New Hampshire, turns focus back on SC
Joe Biden tells The State he is the best 2020 candidate to help down ballot SC races
Biden wins endorsements from nearly 200 South Carolina teachers, education leaders
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Joe Biden bus tour to hit SC pavement with ‘Barbershop’ actor, Olympic figure skater
Biden talks about Mark Sanford, Trump and Democratic opponents ahead of SC stump meet
Joe Biden goes to SC’s Republican strongholds to pitch 2020 campaign
Why black Joe Biden supporters in SC remain loyal, despite his record on race
Biden snags endorsement from Richland County state lawmaker
Two SC senators, Orangeburg party chairman among new Joe Biden 2020 endorsements
Influential SC Democrat backs Joe Biden’s 2020 bid for president
With Kamala Harris out, SC’s ‘Reckoning Crew’ of black voters has new pick for 2020
Joe Biden lands 2020 presidential endorsement from SC senator
Joe Biden wins 2020 support from these SC mayors
Candidate: Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg has struggled to gain the support of African Americans in South Carolina, a state where they make up about two-thirds of the Democratic electorate. Recently, he has invested seven figures to purchase ads across the state.
Reading:
2020 Democrat Pete Buttigieg ups SC investment with $2 million ad buy
Buttigieg launches SC ads focusing on his plan to support African American community
Pete Buttigieg sat down with The State. Here’s what he said
To black SC voters, Pete Buttigieg says he knows ‘mostly white folks’ attend his events
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg spends $2 million on first SC-wide TV ad
How Pete Buttigieg’s time at Columbia’s Fort Jackson has helped shape his candidacy
2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg tackles gun control at USC town hall
Candidate: U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard has not spent very much time courting Palmetto State voters. She has consistently polled low in the First in the South primary, though you may have seen her face featured prominently on billboards around the state.
Candidate: U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Klobuchar has made some investments in South Carolina in this past month after a third place finish in New Hampshire. But her campaign hasn’t been very visible here, and it shows in her barely registering in the polls.
Reading:
Remember Jimmy Carter? 2020 hopeful hints to SC voters that she can win as underdog
Candidate: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders
Recent polls have placed Sanders right at the heels of SC front-runner Biden. Though the senator struggled to capture voters in 2016, his strategy this time around has propelled him into second place.
Reading:
Democrats grapple with a Bernie ticket as Sanders rides Nevada win into SC
In the pulpit, on the curb: Sanders and Warren take 2020 campaign straight to SC voters
Bernie Sanders’ SC campaign looks different this time. Is it different enough to win?
Bernie Sanders secures new SC endorsement after Kamala Harris drops out
Candidate: Philanthropist and former hedge-fund operator Tom Steyer
Steyer has invested millions of dollars into staffing and advertising in South Carolina. His campaign accounted for more than three-fourths of all advertising spending in the Palmetto State, and that doesn’t count his “Need to Impeach” campaign. Steyer, who is polling poorly nationwide, has threatened to break into the top of the 2020 hopeful pile in SC, where it’s “do or die” for his campaign.
Reading:
As Biden, Sanders battle at top of SC Democratic race, Steyer threatens to break in
After Biden’s shot, Steyer in rural SC says prison investments were a ‘mistake’
Steyer says Nevada, South Carolina are ‘do or die’ for his campaign
SC lawmaker gets paid thousands from 2020 presidential hopeful’s campaign
SC caucus whose members attacked critic of Steyer payments also got paid by Steyer
Columbia university, SC students featured in presidential hopeful’s new nationwide ad
Steyer attacks SC Sanders, Biden in new ad days before the state’s primary
‘It was wrong’: Steyer calls on Biden to ‘disavow’ SC senator in Democratic debate
In SC Tom Steyer spends millions of his own cash to prove he’s more than a billionaire
Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer courts black men in SC stop
2020 hopeful Tom Steyer gets backing of longtime Richland County lawmaker
SC House lawmaker says he is endorsing Tom Steyer for president
Candidate: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Warren has also struggled to reach black voters in South Carolina, leaving her struggling in many polls. She saw a gain in South Carolina-specific polls in November, but in the new year, that wore off.
Reading:
Struggling in the polls, Elizabeth Warren launches first SC-wide radio ad
Black voters decide the SC Democratic primary. Can Warren reach them in time?
Elizabeth Warren moves ahead of Bernie Sanders in SC 2020 poll
In the pulpit, on the curb: Sanders and Warren take 2020 campaign straight to SC voters
But what about Bloomberg?
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will not be on ballots across South Carolina.
That hasn’t stopped major South Carolina players from endorsing Bloomberg. Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and S.C. House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford gave him their endorsements.
Can I vote Republican?
The South Carolina Republican Party voted in September to cancel its 2020 Republican presidential primary.
What’s at stake?
South Carolina will send 63 representatives to the Democratic convention: 54 pledged delegates and 9 super delegates. Of those delegates, 35 are split between the state’s seven congressional districts, with the most coming from U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn’s district.
To win a delegate, 2020 hopefuls will need to get at least 15% of the vote statewide or in individual congressional districts, S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson said.
“They’re going to be playing the congressional district game, too,” Robertson said, adding that he suspects that is why 2020 hopefuls spent so much time in U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham’s newly-blue district.
Ultimately, South Carolina’s delegate pool is just a drop in the bucket. The Palmetto State chooses the most delegates out of any early voting state with contests before the March 3 contests known collectively as Super Tuesday. By comparison, California has 415 delegates and Texas has 228.
To become the nominee, a candidate needs to receive support from at least 1,991 delegates on the first ballot cast at the convention. After the first ballot, superdelegates will be allowed to vote, and then candidates will need more than 2,375 votes to win the nomination.
Why does SC matter?
South Carolina is the first state in the nominating contest with a significant population of African American voters. About two-thirds of its Democratic electorate are black, and the state recently surpassed 1 million voters of color.
The First in the South primary is also the last contest White House hopefuls have to make an impression and prove their bona fides before Super Tuesday, where more than a third of all delegates are up for grabs.
Where have 2020 hopefuls visited?
Democratic presidential hopefuls have held most of their stops right here in Columbia, with Charleston coming in a distant second, according to data from The State’s candidate tracker. But the city of Orangeburg, home to two prominent historically black colleges, got a fair amount of foot traffic, totaling nearly 90 stops during the campaign season.
This season, candidates made sure to pay special attention to the Pee Dee, making frequent stops in cities like Hartsville and Florence.
The 2020 campaign season began early, with hopefuls like U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, Biden, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and Sanders making stops around the state way back in 2018.
Steyer appeared at the most stops in South Carolina — more than 60 — followed by Booker, who dropped out of the race in January.
In total, White House contenders totaled more than 600 stops around the Palmetto State.
What do the polls say?
Biden has consistently topped the polls in the Palmetto State. In the early days of the election, Biden enjoyed double digit leads over his nearest competitors, but more recent polls have shown Sanders within the margin of error of beating the former vice president.
More reading:
2020 Democrats take on Sanders, make last debate pitch to SC voters ahead of primary
2020 Democrats pitch down-ballot appeal on eve of Charleston debate
Best for down ballot, to beat Trump? Democratic hopefuls’ spouses make pitch in SC
Clyburn talks endorsement plans, down ballot fears and Biden’s must-win in SC
What Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada mean for SC’s Democratic presidential primary
2020 presidential hopefuls refocus on SC, return for historic King Day at the Dome
Follow us live: SC’s King Day at the Dome
100 days out from SC’s Democratic presidential primary, here’s where the contest stands
Mayor Pete hires up, Castro cuts SC staff. How 2020 Democrats are prepping for primary
Democrats take shots at Trump after speech at SC’s Benedict College
Poll: SC Democrats want a hopeful who’ll support Obama’s legacy, not shake things up
The Buzz: These 2020 Democrats are spending millions on the airwaves including in SC
Voters of all stripes flock to historic Galivants Ferry Stump to hear 2020 candidates
Spectacle or scripted? How some 2020 Democrats tried to stand out in SC
Highlights: 2020 Dems headline SC convention, Planned Parenthood forum as protest unfolds
Next week, 2020 Dems debate. But first: courting SC voters at Clyburn’s fish fry
2020 Democrats defend themselves in SC over questions of lack of black support
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 6:44 AM.
