Biden wins big in South Carolina

Sen. Bernie Sanders saw his winning streak come to an end on Saturday. After consecutive victories in Nevada and New Hampshire and a tie in Iowa, the early Democratic front-runner from Vermont finished well behind former Vice President Joe Biden in the South Carolina primary. With the victory, Biden hopes to establish himself as the top moderate alternative to the democratic-socialist Sanders as the candidates move toward Super Tuesday contests in 14 states that will award nearly a third of the delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.

How did Biden win? After poor showings in the earlier contests, he successfully appealed to African Americans in South Carolina. According to an Associated Press poll, close to half of the state’s black voters backed Biden, with only 20 percent supporting Sanders and another 20 percent choosing businessman Tom Steyer, who dropped out of the race Saturday night after spending more than $19 million on television ads in the state, more than all the other candidates combined. Biden’s eight years as former President Barack Obama’s vice president apparently was the key, with roughly half of South Carolina’s African American voters saying they wanted a nominee who would govern like Obama.

Dig deeper: Read Jamie Dean’s analysis of Biden’s victory ahead of Super Tuesday.

Editor’s note: WORLD updated this report since its initial posting to note Tom Steyer’s announcement.