Biden predicts win in South Carolina
HILTON HEAD, S.C. — Joe Biden expressed confidence on Monday that he would win this weekend’s South Carolina primary as he and other Democrats fight to loosen front-runner Bernie Sanders’ grip on the party’s 2020 presidential nomination.
Opening the most critical week of his campaign, Biden said he would win “by plenty” in Saturday’s contest in South Carolina, the first state with a sizable black population to weigh in on the Democratic race.
“I know I can,” Biden said when asked whether he can notch his first victory of the primary season.
No state holds more sway over the former vice president’s political future. Biden is betting thata strong show- ing among African American voters will give his campaign the needed boost to recover from disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this month. His allies acknowledge he must win South Carolina to have any chance of reviving his campaign.
Even in this state, the focus is shifting to Sanders. The self-described democratic socialist scored a command- ing win in Nevada over the weekend, giving him two consecutive victories after a tie with Pete Buttigieg in Iowa. Sensing the prospect of a knock-out punch in South Carolina, Sanders is ramp- ing up his own outreach in the state.
His rivals moved quickly to try to blunt his efforts.
Speaking to more than 100 at a breakfast on Monday in Hilton Head, billionaire activist Tom Steyer warned “we can’t nominate someone who is going to divide us.”
Asked by a voter how he would beat Sanders, Steyer declared himself just as progressive as the Vermont senator.
“In lots of things, I’m more progressive than Bernie Sanders,” said Steyer, who has spent millions from his personal fortune to combat climate change and encourage President Donald Trump’s impeachment.
Steyer has spent more m oney than his seven rivals combined on television advertising in South Carolina, potentially peeling off support from Biden and Sanders.
The fiercest attacks on Sanders came from another billionaire, Mike Bloomberg. The former New York mayor won’t be on the South Carolina ballot, but has publicly warned that Sanders could amass an unbeatable delegate lead on Super Tuesday — in just eight days — unless he’s stopped.
Bloomberg attacked Sand- ers on multiple fronts, includ- ing his record on gun con- trol. Representing a rural state where gun ownership is high, Sanders enjoyed the backing of the NRA early in his decades-long congressional career, although he proudly proclaims his F rat- ing now.
“The NRA paved the road to Washington for Bernie Sanders ,” Bloomberg tweeted. He added: “We deserve a president who is not beholden to the gun lobby.”
Sanders was also facing blowback from critics in both parties for comments that aired Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes” about the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
“We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad, you know?” Sanders said on the program. “When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”