Things weren't looking good for Joe Biden earlier this year after losses in Iowa and New Hampshire. But then the Democratic presidential race pulled into South Carolina, where Black voters, whom Biden called "the heart and soul of the Democratic Party," put the Biden campaign on a winning course.
They pulled him across the finish line again in November as votes from Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia and urban areas elsewhere were processed.
Joe Biden says he's proud to have built "the broadest and most diverse coalition in history" and thanks Black voters for supporting him in the toughest times of his campaign: "The African-American community stood up again for me. You've always had my back, and I'll have yours." pic.twitter.com/bHNjKhX86n
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 8, 2020
Eighty-seven percent of Black voters went with Biden and running mate Kamala Harris, the first woman and first woman of color elected vice president. It was Biden’s best showing in any demographic group.
The power of the Black vote was perhaps most apparent in Georgia, where years of voter organization laid the groundwork for Biden's narrow victory in the state.
“Do not take Black women for granted”: these organizers have lessons from Georgia for the whole country https://t.co/RYhh6Jy1Ep
— Vox (@voxdotcom) November 11, 2020
"When we show up, we win elections," said South Carolina political strategist Antjuan Seawright. "This election is just further proof of that, in spite of the voter suppression, the misinformation and disinformation and the lies that target our communities election after election.”
GUESTS
Danielle Brown, Black Voters Matter, North Carolina senior state coordinator
Keneshia Grant, Howard University, associate professor of political science; author of “The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century” (@KeneshiaGrant)
Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist, CBS News political contributor (@antjuansea)
