Black and moderate Democrats propelled Joe Biden to a big win in South Carolina’s presidential primary Saturday, according to results of an NBC News Exit Poll.
The former vice president was the overwhelming favorite of the state’s black Democrats, receiving six in ten of their votes. That was far ahead of his nearest rival Bernie Sanders, who got just 17 percent of the black vote. NBC News projected Biden the winner as polls closed at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Biden garnered the support of about half of voters who called themselves either moderate or conservative, and half of those who said they attend religious services weekly. Biden was also the top choice of South Carolina Democrats who care most about nominating a candidate who “can unite the country,” receiving 55 percent of their votes.
South Carolina’s electorate was markedly more diverse and moderate than previous early-voting states this year.
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More than half of those voting in Saturday’s primary — 55 percent — identified as African American, a dramatically higher share than in the Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada Democratic presidential contests. Just half of voters said they consider themselves to be liberal, compared to all the previous contests where liberals made up at least six-in-ten voters. And just four-in-ten South Carolina voters said they hold a college degree; by contrast, college graduates were in the majority of the electorates in the first three contests.
Democrats voting Saturday were somewhat split over whether they would like to see a return to Obama-era policies or a shift to more liberal policies.
Two out of three black voters in the early data said they want a return to Obama’s policies, while a plurality of white Democrats, 43 percent said they are looking for a president who will pursue more liberal policies.
South Carolina Democrats aren’t quite as focused on victory in November as their counterparts in the other 2020 contests held so far: Slightly more than half of those voting in Saturday’s primary said they prioritize beating Trump over a candidate who agrees with them on issues, early results from the NBC News Exit Poll of primary voters show. In Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, more than six in 10 voters said they’re rather see a nominee who can beat Trump.
White Democrats described their feelings about the Trump administration as “angry,” while black voters expressed a much more subdued reaction.
Nearly two out of three white Democrats said they are angry, while another quarter said they are “dissatisfied,” with Trump. Among black voters Saturday, just 37 percent described themselves as angry, and 46 percent said they’re dissatisfied.
The state’s voters also favor big change: the early results found widespread dissatisfaction with the nation’s economic system and a majority of voters said they support a new kind of healthcare system.
A majority of the state’s Democratic voters—51 percent—say the U.S. economic system “needs a complete overhaul,” while another 35 percent say it warrants “minor changes.” Just one in ten voters think the economy works well enough “as is.”
Medicare for All, an idea whose appeal was once limited to the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party, was favored by a majority of voters in South Carolina, which features the most moderate Democratic electorate so far in 2020. Support for the plan among South Carolina voters isn’t quite as high as among Democrats in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada, where voters said they were more liberal and an average of six-in-ten voters expressed support for the healthcare policy.
When it comes to the general election, Sanders supporters in the state said they are less likely to commit to voting for the party’s eventual nominee, regardless of who that candidate is. Twenty-six percent of the senator’s supporters said they would not pledge to vote for the party’s nominee in the general.
