Joe Biden wins South Carolina primary

President Biden has won the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday.

Biden was expected to win the Palmetto State, where 55 delegates are up for grabs, as the incumbent president looks to formally secure the party nomination later this year ahead of the November presidential election.

He easily defeated longshot challengers Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.).

“In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and set us on the path to winning the Presidency,” Biden said in a statement after the victory.

South Carolina was supposed to hold the first primary in this election cycle for Democrats after the party voted to replace Iowa as the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest.

The DNC voted in 2022 to move the first-in-the-nation primary to South Carolina on Feb. 3 — but New Hampshire refused to comply, since state law mandates it hold its primary at least a week before any other state.

Biden won the New Hampshire’s Democratic primary on Jan 23 despite not being listed on the ballot and leaving supporters to write his name in.

The calendar change, done at Biden’s request, was made to give the president a boost after he performed poorly in the 2020 Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries before a decisive victory in South Carolina, thanks to his strong support among Black voters, CNN reported.

“When I was elected President, I said the days of the backbone of the Democratic Party being at the back of the line were over. That was a promise made and a promise kept. Now, you are First In The Nation,” Biden said.

The Iowa caucuses have been the first in the nation since 1972, while New Hampshire has led the way on the primary calendar since 1920. 

Republicans have followed the traditional order of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

South Carolina will have its Republican primary on Feb. 24, where former President Donald Trump looks to keep his winning streak alive and defeat former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her home state.

Trump is currently leading Haley by 26% in the polls there.

Biden needs 1,968 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. The next primary will be in Nevada on Tuesday, Feb. 6.