Sanders and Clinton Fight for Black Voters in South Carolina

Click on the audio player above to hear this interview. 

The Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary are important forecasters in presidential campaigns, which is why both Republican and Democratic hopefuls spend a considerable amount of time and money in both states.

Yet, the real test may lie south.  

Though the votes have not yet been tallied for the New Hampshire primary, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has already dispatched former President Bill Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, to South Carolina—the next state to hold a presidential primary. The Palmetto State is just one of a number of racially diverse locations at play in the 2016 election, and Clinton is counting on black voters there.

The Clinton family remains popular among Southern Democrats and black voters. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who doesn’t have the same popular support, is hoping to broaden his appeal. With a solid lead in New Hampshire, he is spending heavily in South Carolina by advertising on local black radio stations and paying black organizers, some who worked on both of President Obama’s campaigns, to go door to door canvassing on his behalf.  

Jaime Harrison is the first African-American chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party. He has yet to endorse either candidate, but is watching the lead up to the South Carolina primaries closely.   

What you’ll learn from this segment:

• The issues most important to black voters in South Carolina.
• What black voters are saying about the Democratic candidates.
• Why some black voters are flipping from Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders.