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FORMER VICE PRESIDENT Joe Biden notched up a resounding win in the South Carolina primary yesterday, reviving his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and positioning him as the leading rival to frontrunner Bernie Sanders.
The victory, powered by support from African-American voters, was the 77-year-old Biden’s first in the race and may give him momentum going into Super Tuesday next week, when 14 states go to the polls.
“Just days ago the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead,” Biden told hundreds of supporters at a victory rally in the South Carolina capital Columbia.
“You’ve launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump,” he said.
“We have the option of winning big or losing big,” Biden added in a dig at Sanders’ prospects against Trump in November’s election.
With 99% of the ballots counted, Biden had 48.4% to 20% for the 78-year-old Senator Sanders, a self-described “democratic socialist.”
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who spent a whopping $23 million on advertising in South Carolina, was next with 11.4% but announced he was quitting the race even before the final results were published.
Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has been challenging Biden for the centrist vote, had 8% while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren had 7%.
A victory in South Carolina, where African-Americans make up around 60% of the Democratic primary electorate, was seen as crucial to Biden’s hopes of reviving his flagging campaign.
Sanders has been the clear leader in the overall race, winning two of the first three contests and finishing in a virtual tie in Iowa with the 38-year-old Buttigieg.
South Carolina was seen as a key test of Sanders’ support among African-Americans — crucial to a Democratic victory in November — but he only received the backing of around 15% of black voters while Biden received 60% according to exit polls.
‘Slingshot’
Biden finished fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and second in Nevada, and desperately needed a win in South Carolina ahead of Super Tuesday, which decides a third of the delegates who formally choose the Democratic nominee at the July party convention.
“The biggest question is whether this will slingshot Joe Biden into victory in some Super Tuesday states,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Sabato said Biden’s primary win — his first in three attempts at securing the Democratic presidential nomination — also increases the pressure on the other centrist candidates to leave the race.
Buttigieg, Warren, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and billionaire Michael Bloomberg have all made it clear they will stick around at least through Super Tuesday.
“Super Tuesday is three days away and we’re looking forward to these big contests,” Warren, who has been challenging Sanders for the progressive vote, told supporters at a campaign rally in Texas.
Sanders congratulated Biden on his victory at a campaign rally in Virginia but was confident of victory in the next primaries.
“The people on Super Tuesday and after are going to support this campaign,” he said. “We are a movement of millions of people.”
Sanders also dismissed Democratic establishment fears that he would lose against Trump, noting that dozens of polls have him beating the Republican incumbent.
‘I can’t wait’
Trump also praised Biden’s victory and called on Bloomberg to quit the race.
“Sleepy Joe Biden’s victory in the South Carolina Democrat Primary should be the end of Mini Mike Bloomberg’s Joke of a campaign,” the president tweeted.
The Bloomberg campaign, which has invested heavily in the Super Tuesday races, noted that the former New York mayor was not on the ballot in South Carolina.
Biden, who served for eight years as vice president to Barack Obama, was the favorite in South Carolina, the first state with a substantial African-American electorate to hold a primary contest.
Real estate agent Betty Malone attended the Biden victory rally and said she expected his South Carolina win would be followed by more victories next week.
“I can’t wait for Super Tuesday to see him win all of those, every last one of those,” Malone said.
Despite his South Carolina win, Biden may well face a Sanders buzzsaw on Super Tuesday.
Sanders, who narrowly lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016, is leading in nine of the 14 states to vote on Tuesday including California and Texas, the two biggest prizes.
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Nepotism alive and well.
@fergusob:
Sinn Fein will be furious.
Not a racist misogynist anywhere to be seen.
This is not the change that people voted for.
@Brinster: ah yeah Eamon Ryan blatantly uses the N word but no racist in site… but you’re right this isn’t the change and most likely wont last.
@Brinster: have a closer look at the FF and FG parliamentary parties, you will find a few there!! As for their councillors
@Gareth: ….in sight even…
@Gareth: Ryan might be a lot of things but he is not a racist……..
@fergusob: we had the opportunity to get rid of the Senate, we said no.
@Sean Higgins: Agreed. I think a lot of people just like to jump on the racist band wagon. That’s not to say racism doesn’t exist in Ireland. It certainly does. But Eamon Ryan? No.
@TheCraftyCulchie: didn’t Fianna Fáil offer condolences on the death of Hitler. I mean come on. As for it’s attitude to women and homosexuals. Well need I say more.
@Gareth: the cheapest of cheap shots.
@fergusob: Then get all your buddies to vote for a party that will pass a law to make it illegal to employ your friends/relatives in a job in your own office….
7 years ago Regina was the Deputy Director of the Seanad Abolition campaign. Now she’s lost her seat she is happy to be Leader of the Seanad…
@Anna:
Not sure if you heard about it Anna, but there was a vote on this and the Irish people decided to retain the Seanad?
@Brinster: you’re missing the point of the comment Brinster.
@Anna: I’m no supporter of Doherty, But, The people of this Country VOTED to retain the Seanad. The Seanad is still very relevant , So She being nominated is not a problem for her. I must say, I have a problem with the fact that She was nominated at all ,because She could not hold her Dail Seat. Likewise, Timmy Dooley, – who also could not win aSeanad seat,- , Lorainne Clifford-Lee likewise . There are surely other New talent out there that could be given a chance.
@Brinster: oh my god.
Maybe now Regina can settle her bill with the Revenue and others
@Eugene Comaskey: Fitzpatrick ran 4 times for election and failed to be elected. Surely that sdeems her unelectable. Same goes for Ronan Mullan, regected at council, national and Euro level. The university Seanad seats must go.
A college dropout in charge of Higher education,innovation & Science! God help us all, none of them have a clue, maybe it’s a good thing they get their orders from the EU! ( for now anyway)
@Colette Kearns: Looks like we will have an ineffective opposition. The moaning has started again and NO positive input.
@Colette Kearns: Ray McSharry never completed Secondary School and he was a very fine politician at local and European level. BTW, did Pearse Doherty complete his third level Education?. I think he is a very capable Public Representative, although I am no Sinn Fein suporter
@Colette Kearns: Bill Gates was a dropout, so was Richard Bysnson, Mafk Zickerberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Ted Turner, David Murdpck, Steve Jobs,David Geffen, Michael Dell… so it doesn’t have to be a pre-requisite to be good at something… unlike Bertie.. a failed accountant… : -)
Money for nothing and the picks are free..
“Recreating a second Dáil does the country no favours.” Regina Doherty.. .She wasn’t long changing her mind
@Seamus Bridgeman: Unfortunately the voters decided to retain the bloody thing.
@Seamus Bridgeman: James Reilly headed the campaign for FG saying it was outdated and undemocratic.
When he lost his seat in 2016 and Kenny appointed him to the ‘upper house’ he said he considered it an honour and a privilege.
@Seamus Bridgeman: She owes them!
The picture is becoming clear now and I’m really disappointed with Catherine Martin to see her support bought with a cushy job for a family member.
I mistakenly thought she might have been an actual voice for change in government but this trade of beliefs for personal gain is the oldest of old politics.
@Rochelle: they learn very quickly. Lets she who she will hire as her personal assistant.
@Rochelle: I’m feeling the very same
Well Martins appointment of Timmy Dooley as a senator has set the tone, and its not a good one. The people of Clare did not vote for this man in the election for good reason. He failed in his own bid for senator for good reason, but Mehole seems to know better then the electorate. New Taoiseach, same arrogance.
Was nomination of her brother Vincent P Martin Catherine Martins pay for support?
Depressing
He would have done anything to be taoiseach, even the unspeakable for FF as it turns out.
@Thomas Murphy: Can’t be that unspeakable with a hefty 70% plus FF’ers voting for it…. :-)
Catherine Martin, her husband and her brother. No Comment
@Michael Burke: Who would you employ? Someone you don’t know? Or someone that will be loyal and you know won’t let you down in the heat of the moment… :-)
They’ll make all the difference. Not
Completely void of integrity. How can he enjoy this?? Surely in the back of his mind he knows he is lower than a snakes belly. He must be going around today feeling like someone on a morning after doing the walk of shame.
@Andy mc Laughlin: MM has sold his soul to be the gaffer. He does not care what oeiple think. He will prob reture aftee this stint.
Emer currie doesn’t her family come from overseas as leo would say.it amazes me that the 11 nominees from government are usually people that have been rejected by the electorate
@matthew o reilly: Is she a daughter of Austin Currie?
The words “ran unsuccessfully in the February general election” appear far too often in that list.
Good old Wishy Washy Michael Martin gets in through the back door
@Anne Busher Collins: Party with the most seats.. :-)
@Kieran Brady: Sinn fein will run enough candidates to get a majority next time dont worry Kieran
Delighted to see Regina Doherty’s appointment to leader of the Seanad. By any standards she was one of the stand out performers during the pandemic.
@Fionn Darland: are you drunk……€350 for students of millionaire families
@Fionn Darland: Except paying back debts, Regina doesn’t do debts, but she does do false numbers on dole fraud which she helped prince vanity socks leo parade till it was discovered they were false…..but ya she embodies the typical FFG politician
Didn’t Regina Doherty publically retire from politics after getting the bullet in the last general election
as useful as a handbrake in a canoe you wouldn’t thrust them picking stony
Jobs for the boys….and girls.
Who’s going to vote for Timmy?
Brown envelopes all around
dimmey tooley noooooooooo
Why if we have another article complaining about the quantity of female TDS appointed are they not complaining about only 18% of Seanad appointments being male
@lorcmulv: because feminism is not about equality, they just use that as a mask. It’s about superiority.
Delighted to see a traveller activist appointed as a senator. I hope she gets on with David Norris. Is that naughty?
@feargal wash your hands de cantuin: The only good appointment.
Looks like there’s a split in the offing for green party with appointment if P Hackett. M Martin s vanity project looks set to be short lived.
Mary Fitzpatrick?? Dear God.
Ireland voted for every tom dick and harry in the last election and this is the end result
So quit complaining,
No attempt made to address the complete lack of representation for our ethnic minority communities (Travellers excepted) just a chance to give old FF party hacks like Timmy Dooley and Msry Fitzpatrick a consolation prize.
@James Walsh: You do know that imigration is good for this country but said immigrants will never be selected to run for the Dail or Seanad or find there way into RTE, (RTE have a young black female presenter on Nationwide). Though I daresay that will be RTE’s only contribution to integration as they like to keep things in-house in the form if nepotism.
And leo????
@BriP75: tánaiste
I think we’ll get more done with this government in 2 years than FG did in the last 10. I wish them the best.
Brown envelopes all around for all politicians
A profound liar is now the tea-shock
Stand for election to the Dáil and be rejected by the general electorate.
Stand for election to the Seanad and be rejected by the restricted electorate.
Appointed to the Seanad.
Not democratic!
Well done good and faithful servant….
Isn’t it amazing how the voters can firmly reject a TD at election time, vote them out of office and then watch helplessly as they are reinstated to prominent positions? This is democracy, where the voters decide through a democratic vote who the want in the Oireachtas, at its best. Voters wishes clearly disregarded by their elected representatives.
The Irish political system is hilarious.
The political version of Covid-19, the absolute worst possible outcome, democracy is officially dead in Ireland.
The Irish people had it’s chance at the get rid of this retirement home for lost causes but voted instead to keep it at a cost of 100k p.a.for each of senator! It’s a joke when we see families out there paying thousands for child care per week and careers can get Respite what a country especially when the country did not vote for this Government.This sends a message to the youth of Ireland. It’s not what you know it’s who you know and we need to change this when we vote in future please.
HE BOUGHT HIS WAY THERE, NO SHAME
Lisa chambers Timmy dooley sums up the system
Thought Lisa Chambers would have got a seat!
@Joe L: She must’ve displeased Mee-hawl, or did she get one through one of the panels?
Look after the pqls
The Irish people had it’s chance at the get rid of this retirement home for lost causes but voted instead to keep it at a cost of 100k p.a.for each of these senators! It’s a joke when we see families out there paying thousands for child care per week and careers cannot get Respite what a country especially when the country did not vote for this Government.This sends a message to the youth of Ireland. It’s not what you know it’s who you know and we need to change this when we vote in future please.
Lora lora ladies
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