South Carolina prepares for primary

Former Vice President Joe Biden is counting on South Carolina primary voters after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. The state has 63 Democratic delegates to award to presidential hopefuls. It also is one of 15 states with open primaries, meaning Republicans can cast votes in the Democratic contest, and vice versa. The South Carolina Republican Party canceled its primary and threw all of its support behind President Donald Trump.

What are polls predicting? Biden has an 18 percentage point lead over his rivals with 35 percent of voters’ support according to a Clemson University poll. Businessman Tom Steyer is in second at 17 percent, while Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont trailed in third at 13 percent. Two other polls gave Biden an 8 point and a 4 point lead.

Candidates are also preparing for Super Tuesday next week, when they will compete for 1,257 delegates in 14 states. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sanders, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg have each put about 1,000 campaign staff members on the ground in Super Tuesday states, NBC News reported.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew on how candidates’ approach to fundraising is influencing the race.