2024 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
65 delegates (55 pledged and 10 unpledged) to the Democratic National Convention | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnout | 4% of registered voters[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Results by county
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
| Elections in South Carolina |
|---|
 |
The 2024 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary was held on February 3, 2024, as part of the Democratic Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election.[2] 65 delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be allocated to presidential candidates.[3] CNN and Associated Press called the race early, for incumbent President Joe Biden. Biden won in a landslide, receiving no less than 94% of the vote in every county.[4] Biden's victory helped cement his position over his challengers, Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips; however, critics noted that the primary had only four percent turnout.[1]
Scheduling[edit]
Under the Democratic Party's 2024 calendar that was released in February 2023, South Carolina was scheduled to hold the first primary on February 3, with New Hampshire and Nevada expected to hold their primaries on February 6.[5] However, due to New Hampshire state law requiring that its primary must be held first, the state held a primary boycotted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on January 23, which incumbent president Joe Biden won as a write-in candidate.[6] The election marked the first time that South Carolina hosted the first primary of the Democratic nominating process supported by the DNC.[7]
Procedure[edit]
Christale Spain, the first black woman state chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, was put in charge of running the primary.[8] South Carolina holds open primaries, so any registered voter in the state can participate.[9]
South Carolina will choose 65 delegates, of which 10 will be unpledged superdelegates and seven will be party leaders and officials who are pledged to a candidate. The remaining delegates will be allocated proportionally based on the results of this primary. 36 delegates will be allocated by congressional district, and the other 12 will be allocated at large.[3] Candidates who receive less than 15% of the vote in a congressional district or at large will not receive any delegates from that district.[10]
Candidates[edit]
The following candidates were certified by the executive council of the South Carolina Democratic Party as candidates:[11]
Failed to make ballot[edit]
The following candidates filed, although they were not certified by the council:
- Eban Cambridge (incomplete candidate filing)
- Cenk Uygur (disqualified due to not being a natural-born citizen)
In December 2023, Uygur's campaign filed a lawsuit against the state party for rejecting his candidate filing.[12]
Polling[edit]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Joe Biden |
Dean Phillips |
Marianne Williamson |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College | January 2–3, 2024 | 320 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 69.4% | 5.2% | 3.0% | 22.4% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Pete Buttigieg |
Roy Cooper |
Kamala Harris |
Gavin Newsom |
Bernie Sanders |
Elizabeth Warren |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spry Strategies | January 17–19, 2022 | 251 (LV) | – | 14% | 2% | 26% | 6% | 8% | 10% | 34% |
Endorsements[edit]
- U.S. Representatives
- Jim Clyburn, SC-06 (1993–present), House Assistant Democratic Leader (2011–2019, 2023–present)[13]
- Party officials
- Jaime Harrison, Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2021–present)[14][15]
Results[edit]
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Actual delegate count | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pledged | Unpledged | Total | |||
| Joe Biden (incumbent) | 126,321 | 96.2% | 55 | TBD | 55 |
| Marianne Williamson | 2,726 | 2.1% | 0 | TBD | |
| Dean Phillips | 2,239 | 1.7% | 0 | ||
| Total: | 131,286 | 100% | 55 | 10 | 65 |
See also[edit]
- 2024 South Carolina Republican presidential primary
- 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- 2024 United States presidential election
- 2024 United States presidential election in South Carolina
- 2024 United States elections
References[edit]
- ^ a b Hubbard, Kaia. "South Carolina Democratic primary turnout for 2024 and how it compares to previous years". CBS. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "South Carolina primary election results: Democrats | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "South Carolina Democratic Delegation 2024". The Green Papers. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "South Carolina Democratic Primary Results". The New York Times. February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ Sprunt, Barbara (February 4, 2023). "Democrats vote to upend presidential primary calendar for 2024 but challenges persist". NPR. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
- ^ Greve, Joan E. (January 24, 2024). "Joe Biden wins New Hampshire's Democratic primary with write-in votes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ "AP Decision Notes: What to expect in South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary". Associated Press. January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Shapero, Julia (April 29, 2023). "South Carolina Democrats elect first Black woman to head state party". The Hill. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ "South Carolina PrimaryVoters Head to the Polls as Democrats Kick Off Their First Official Contest". The New York Times. February 3, 2023.
- ^ "County Conventions". South Carolina Democratic Party. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ "Official List of Candidates for 2024 South Carolina Democratic Party Presidential Primary". South Carolina Democratic Party. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "Cenk Uygur Sues South Carolina Over Presidential Primary Ballot Access". Ballot Access News. December 31, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Morris, Kyle; Spady, Aubrie; Slacik, Sophia (January 22, 2023). "10 Democrats who have vowed support for Biden in 2024 as voters await his official re-election decision". Fox News. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Keith Gaynor, Gerren (February 9, 2023). "DNC chair says Biden will run for reelection in 2024: 'We're going to win'". TheGrio. Yahoo News. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "DNC Chair Jamie Harrison discusses concerns about President Biden's age". YouTube. April 27, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "South Carolina Democratic Primary Results". New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2024.