The Sanders campaign says it has a path forward to the nomination – winning in states with caucus-style contests, and where Sanders’ anti-trade and pro-labor message resonates. “If all of you come out to vote and you bring your friends and your neighbors and your co-workers, we are going to win here in Texas”. “We are not taking anything for granted”. Two key presidential contests on opposite ends of the nation come down to their final full day Friday, ahead of weekend elections that will shape the tone and duration of the Republican and Democratic races with Clinton and Bernie Sanders competing in the Nevada caucuses. “We’ve now gone through four early states”. Sanders has the support of 28% of black voters in SC, according to a CNN/ORC International poll. Sanders quickly conceded defeat.
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Clinton, a strong favorite for the nomination, has faced an unexpectedly strong challenge from Sanders, who has built considerable support-especially among younger voters-since he launched his presidential bid in May. “This campaign is just beginning”, Sanders said in a statement distributed by his campaign.
Clinton won majorities of voters saying they think the economy, health care or terrorism are the most important issue facing the country, and she even led among those saying income inequality is most important.
“Our grassroots political revolution is growing state by state, and we won’t stop now”, he added.
A Clinton victory in the first Southern primary had always been expected, and even the Vermont senator’s campaign seemed resigned to a loss as voting began.
The former secretary of state had maintained a sizeable lead over her socialist rival in the state, beating Sanders 60-37 in a recent Emerson poll.
Anecdotal accounts suggest voter turnout was strong in Greenville County – one downtown precinct reported 31 percent voter turnout at 2 p.m. – but lower throughout the state.
Still, he did invest heavily in SC, with 200 paid staff on the ground and an aggressive television advertising campaign.
Numerous early March primaries are held in states with large blocs of African-American voters.
Sanders appeared to recognize he could not win the state.
“She has names of many tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who supported her. You start off with that, you have those votes in the bank and you go on”, Sanders said. His pledge to fix a rigged economic system and to provide free college were met more with skepticism than enthusiasm.
“Most African Americans never heard of Bernie Sanders before six months ago”, Fowler said in an interview.
“On Super Tuesday the state that is going to be voting for the most delegates is the great state of Texas”, Sanders told the crowd at a Formula One racetrack.
On the Republican side, voters will cast ballots in 11 states, with 595 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday.
The victory marks an impressive moment of redemption for Clinton who in 2008 lost badly in the state to Barack Obama – his win here serving as a turning point for his ultimately victorious campaign.
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Thirty-five are awarded proportionally based on the results in each of the state’s seven congressional districts, and 18 others are decided proportionally by the statewide outcome.
