Clinton thunders to big win in SC

Hillary Clinton defeated Sen. Now it’s on to Super Tuesday.

The victory confirmed Mrs. Clinton’s recovery from an uneven performance in early contests. The former secretary of state narrowly beat Sanders in the Iowa Democratic caucus and lost to him by 22 points in New Hampshire. Hundreds were on hand for her watch party in Columbia.

The South Carolina win is Clinton’s third in the first four primary contests. The Superdelegates, as they may in every other state, choose the candidate they wish to support, regardless of the popular vote. Sanders congratulated Clinton but said the campaign was just beginning.

“Let me be clear on one thing tonight”.

Although Mr Sanders, 74, was in SC on Friday, his prospects in the state are not that promising and he has invested few resources there, commentators say.

Sanders notes that he won a “decisive victory” in New Hampshire and she did the same in SC.

Taken together, 865 Democratic delegates are up for grabs in the Super Tuesday contests in 11 states and American Samoa. To win, 2,383 delegates are needed to win out of the 4,189 total delegates.

The former secretary of state’s victory decisively established her strength among black voters, a crucial Democratic constituency who make up more than half of the party’s primary electorate in SC. It’s a formula she hopes to repeat.

As he indicated in a brief statement from the steps of his plane on his arrival in Minnesota, Sanders, who left SC early in the day to campaign in Texas, must now find some success on Super Tuesday, particularly in the southern states.

But even Sanders supporters noted Clinton’s narrow wins in those two states may have stymied any “momentum” the campaign wanted to gain heading into Super Tuesday, when more than 10 states will vote. Sanders received more than six in 10 among voters who said this was their first primary election, but this group was a very small share of the electorate (about one in 10). “I went for someone I know”, said the housekeeper, who declined to give her name.

Exit polls in Nevada and SC showed Clinton with solid leads among female voters, while Sanders again carried voters under the age of 30.

Witnesses said his events in the state drew sparse crowds in comparison with the huge numbers he has attracted at rallies elsewhere. Instead of remaining in the Palmetto State to wait for results.

“We’ve been just going door to door asking people if they’re voting”, Olivia Banscum said.

Eight years ago, then-Illinois Sen. “That was the biggest issue in this election”, she said.

At the time of publication, Clinton had won SC by an overwhelming 77 percent compared to Sanders’ 23 percent.

Hillary Clinton takes a swipe at Donald Trump during her victory speech.

Hillary Clinton visits a coffee house in downtown Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday February 27, 2016.