COLUMBIA, S.C. — Saturday night, Democrats in the Palmetto State celebrated President Biden's victory in the state's primary as dozens gathered at the State Fairgrounds for a watch party.
Voters, young and old, turned out Saturday at the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary Watch Party, a historic night for the Palmetto State, the first official Democratic presidential primary in the nation.
"Hearing us talk about the hands that picked cotton, or the hands that are now picking presidents, I mean that is impactful, and is powerful, and that is the imagery that is important for the nation to see," said Jaime Harrison, the National Democratic Party Chair who's also a native of South Carolina.
Harrison, Christale Spain - the South Carolina Democratic Party chair, and U.S. Congressman Jim Clyburn all said they hope this is the case again in 2028. Biden had requested to move South Carolina to the front of the Democratic nominating process, and last year, Democrats agreed, changing their primary calendar. (New Hampshire did hold a primary, but the national party did not sanction that).
Spain said that 6,000 new voters participated in early voting in the S.C. Democratic Primary for the first time, with a 14% increase in Black voter participation. She said her Democratic Party team hosted 115 events in 32 South Carolina counties over the past couple of weeks.
Domonique King and Deven Jackson attended the event Saturday night from Mercer University in Georgia, watching everything unfold for their political primary class.
"I do think it's been nice to see that people still have hope and people still believe that the country is capable of change," King said.
Clyburn spoke about how he and Biden have been working to make the greatest parts of America affordable and accessible, as well as unifying the country.
"Disagreeing doesn't mean we can't get along. It means that we will find a way to come together and succeed in our efforts. If it's in the family, in the community, in the state, in this nation, whatever it is, let's come together and make sure that we move forward as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," Clyburn said.
South Carolina voters told News19 they're energized after this monumental night.
"Regardless of who is running, what is important to me is that the nation see the primary moving to South Carolina is warranted because of involvement and engagement here in the state," voter Barrett Hurd said.
The Republican Presidential Primary here in South Carolina on Feb. 24, 2024.