In South Carolina, Democrats see a test of Biden’s appeal to Black voters

President Biden’s campaign and affiliated groups are ramping up their efforts in South Carolina, pouring in money and staff ahead of the first Democratic primary in February in an effort to generate excitement for his campaign in the state.

At first glance it seems like a strange political strategy. Few sitting presidents have invested so much in an early primary state — especially one like South Carolina, where Biden faces no serious primary challenger and where no Democratic presidential candidate has won the general election since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

But the Biden campaign sees the effort as more than just scoring a big victory in the state that helped revive his struggling 2020 campaign and put him on track to winning the nomination. It hopes to energize Black voters, who are crucial to Biden’s reelection bid nationally, at a time when his standing among Black Americans is particularly fraught.

“One of the things we haven’t done well is showcasing the successes of this administration,” said Marvin Pendarvis, a state representative from North Charleston. He added that the campaign must craft a message “so that Black voters understand that this administration has done some of the most transformative things when it comes to Black and minority communities.”

Four years after Mr. Biden promised he would win the support of voters he said helped deliver him the White House, Black Americans in polls and focus groups are expressing frustration with Democrats for what they see as a failure to deliver campaign promises. They also say they have seen little improvement in their well-being under Mr. Biden’s presidency. Some are unsure whether they will vote at all.

To counter that pessimism and boost black turnout, Democrats are hitting the Palmetto State with a six-figure cash infusion from the Democratic National Committee, a slew of campaign events and an army of staffers and surrogates.

Party leaders are hoping for a big showing at the ballot box that would signal to the rest of the country the importance of Black voters and their support for Biden’s reelection, reinvigorating a must-win bloc and fueling momentum. 2020 seen.

“That’s another part of South Carolina’s historic character that comes first,” said Christale Spain, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, who was elected in April. “This is the first time that black voters will vote first to elect the president.”

But the scale of Mr. Biden’s investments reflects the challenge he faces. Moderate Black voter turnout in February could be more than a stumbling block; it could be a terrible sign that Democrats are disconnected from one of their most loyal constituencies.

Increasing black turnout in South Carolina will be a particularly tall order for both the state party and Mr. Biden’s 2024 campaign. Many South Carolina Democrats are still nursing the wounds from the 2022 midterm elections, in which the party saw several lost safe seats in the state house and Black turnout fell to its lowest point in decades.

“You have people who are discouraged because they haven’t seen the policy translated into their mailbox, their zip code,” said Marlon Kimpson, a longtime Biden ally and former senator who was appointed to the White House Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations House. this year. “And I honestly attribute that to poor communication from Washington, DC. That is improving.”

Democrats’ efforts in South Carolina in the coming weeks will amount to a one-state test case of Mr. Biden’s appeal to black voters, and they hope the results can be replicated across the country.

Beginning in early January, as Black South Carolinians groan about higher prices and failures in student loan debt relief, they will find Democrats on the airwaves and at their doors condemning the Biden administration’s push for rural broadband access and more funding to black colleges and universities awards.

Party leaders in rural counties who may feel neglected by Democrats in more populous parts of the state will be able to greet national party brass in their own communities at stops on a multi-week bus tour that campaign officials say will crisscross the state and take several Biden will deploy. surrogates. Mr Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to visit the state at least once ahead of the February 3 primaries.

And as concerns grow about the vocal number of Black voters who say they are considering supporting former President Donald J. Trump or not voting at all in November, allies of Mr. Biden will echo Mr. Trump’s rebuke of democratic norms underline and try to explain Removing the criminal justice and economic measures that Republicans have elevated to appeal to some black voters.

“I think we just need to send a clear message that the alternative is much worse,” said state Rep. Ivory Thigpen, chair of the state Legislative Black Caucus, referring to the possibility of another Trump term. “I know this is not the best campaign strategy, but it is reality.”

Several local and state elected officials have met repeatedly in recent weeks to deliver messages to disaffected black voters, with an emphasis on reaching black men, who have shown more openness to supporting Republicans in November. Black leaders have also held a series of meetings with White House officials aimed at countering disinformation regarding Democratic policies and halting further rifts in Democrats’ base of black voters.

Biden campaign officials did not provide specific turnout figures they were aiming for. But no one expects a repeat of 2008, when black voters in South Carolina, motivated by the prospect of electing America’s first black president, Barack Obama, en masse. As for turnout, some Democrats have already tried to temper expectations.

“In the absence of any meaningful opposition, it’s difficult to get people excited about coming to the fair,” Mr Kimpson said. “I don’t think this translates into a lack of enthusiasm for the president.”

As the Biden campaign focuses on South Carolina, it has left little to no presence in several states that are sure to be more competitive in November. The meager campaign base in Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania has raised some concerns among Democratic organizers, even as the campaign says it will expand its presence in battleground states later next spring.

South Carolina Democrats also staked their success in February on the chance to host the first primary again in 2028, when the party will have a competitive primary field. And a strong performance in February could lay the groundwork for the party to protect itself from major losses in November next year, such as those in 2022.

“The fact that we are doing all this is because we are the first and we take that status very seriously,” Ms Spain said. “Our goal is to get as many black voters as possible.”

Reid J. Epstein reporting contributed.