Democratic presidential hopefuls Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday jockeyed for the support of key groups in early voting South Carolina, the state that anchored US President Barack Obama’s twice-victorious national coalition.
Sanders tailored his message of economic and social inclusion to the state’s Democratic Women’s Council, highlighting his support for gender pay equity, paid family leave and access to abortion and birth control.
“Make no mistake about it, the right wing in this country is continuing its war on women,” Sanders said, commencing a day of events that is set to put Sanders and Clinton in front of women, African-Americans and gay rights advocates.
Polls in South Carolina suggest Clinton enjoys a strong advantage over Sanders among women and black voters, crucial players in the nominating contest given that white men across the southern US have largely abandoned Democrats.
South Carolina hosts the southern US’ first primary on Feb. 27, weeks after Iowa and New Hampshire — where Sanders is more competitive — begin next year’s presidential voting. The Clinton campaign regards South Carolina as a potential firewall should Sanders gain any momentum in the first nominating contests.
At a town hall in mostly African-American Orangeburg Clinton vowed to tackle problems important to African-American voters, from improving historically black colleges and universities to curing sickle cell anemia, an inherited blood disease that disproportionately affects black people.
The two candidates touted competing endorsements. Former North Carolina senator Kay Hagan declared her support for Clinton following Sanders’ speech at the Women’s Council.
Sanders meanwhile went to the state capital, Columbia, to accept plaudits from a group of black community leaders, including some state lawmakers.
Addressing the women’s group, Sanders did not direct his arguments on women against Clinton, but focused instead on Republicans, decrying their “horrific attacks” on Planned Parenthood — which provides women’s health care, including abortions.
“Women have been front and center in every one of our progressive victories,” he said, adding that women are critical to withstand the Republicans’ “counter-revolution.”
Meanwhile, at Orangeburg, Clinton continued her focus on minority voters.
Calls to combat gun violence, enact immigration legislation and reform criminal justice laws have emerged as the central themes of her campaign.
In presidential elections, demographic shifts have led Democrats to concentrate on women, non-whites and younger voters, even as they pitch their policy positions as favoring opportunity for all.
However, across the southern US — and the many other states lying between the Democratic strongholds of the northeast and west coast — that effort has not translated to victories in congressional or state elections.
The result is that Democrats have won five out of the last six presidential popular votes, while Republicans have amassed majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, 31 governorships and outright control of 30 state legislatures.
From the Carolinas westward to Oklahoma and Texas, Republicans hold every Senate seat, governor’s seat and control every legislative chamber in the southern US.
Earlier this week, Clinton met with the families of young black people killed by police officers, including the mother of Michael Brown, whose death in Ferguson, Missouri led to nationwide protests.
However, she has struggled to convince some young activists who have provided much of the energy behind the renewed interest in civil rights issues after a spate of police killings of young minorities. In Atlanta last week, a handful of Black Lives Matter protesters tried to drown out Clinton as she discussed her criminal justice plan.
On Saturday, Clinton praised the protesters for their energy but urged them to take a closer look at her proposals.
“They are impatient and they deserve to be impatient,” Clinton said of the protesters. “I wish they had listened.”
Clinton was scheduled to speak on Saturday evening in Columbia at a dinner hosted by the state’s largest gay rights organization. Sanders is appearing at a town hall in Aiken.
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