Joe Biden and Donald Trump will face the greatest tests yet of their political strength starting this week in South Carolina, as the two men hurtle toward a general election rematch.
The president is not expected to directly cross paths with his predecessor in the Palmetto State, but each is expected to spend significant time there over the next month to hone their attacks against one another and appeal to voters.
For Trump, the goal is more practical: A win in the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary would deliver a fatal blow to challenger Nikki Haley in her home state, allowing him to fully shift his focus toward Biden. Democrats are holding their primary on Feb. 3 and while Biden is certain to win big, he is using the race as a chance to quiet his critics and demonstrate strength among key voter groups.
Trump’s back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire have prompted Biden to accelerate his campaign and try to reverse dim perceptions of his leadership. Biden is traveling to South Carolina on Saturday to rally Black voters, a major part of the electorate there and a bloc with which the president’s support has eroded.
Biden and Trump’s performance in South Carolina will provide hints about the state of the 2024 race that will determine U.S. policy on the economy, border security, abortion rights and the nation’s role in the world.
“Success in November depends more upon a voting demographic like you find in South Carolina, than that which you would find in Iowa or New Hampshire,” said Jim Clyburn, the South Carolina Democratic congressman whose endorsement of Biden four years ago vaulted him to the presidency.
Black outreach
South Carolina is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired and has long been a conservative Republican bastion. But it’s also a place that holds outsize importance in Biden’s political lore.
After three straight losses that put his 2020…
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