‘The Black Vote Is Not Monolithic’: 2020 Democrats Find Split Preferences in South Carolina

Joseph R. Biden Jr. enjoys a sizable advantage with black voters in South Carolina right now, and not just at lunch tables where they discuss candidates over freshly caught shrimp and fried fish. Recent polls have shown him with support from about 50 percent of African-American voters in the state. …

In a race with the most diverse field in history, the nominee could be determined by whether black voters stay with Mr. Biden, rally around one of the African-Americans in the race or split their vote among several candidates. While black voters are expected to account for about 20 percent of the Democratic Party electorate nationwide, they can play an outsize role because of their early influence in South Carolina and their recent history of coalescing around one candidate. CONT.

Jonathan Martin & Astead W. Herndon, New York Times