Jim Clyburn credited with saving Joe Biden’s presidential campaign

On Saturday, February 29, former Vice President Joe Biden won the South Carolina primary by a massive margin after receiving an endorsement from African-American congressman and former Majority Whip James Clyburn. According to voting exit polls, the 79-year-old South Carolina native’s endorsement swayed more than half of the voters. With Super Tuesday looming on March 3, Biden needs all the help that he can get given that he hasn’t won the majority of votes in any other states so far.

Clyburn gave Biden the support needed to attract minority voters, especially African-Americans, but he has made it clear in interviews that he wants some things in return: He fully expects Biden’s team to work with him and others to make improvements because he feels strongly that the campaign has been mishandled in various ways to-date. In a Saturday interview with CNN, Clyburn noted that Biden needed to do more fundraising and change how he procures donations. Although Biden has a nearly 30-point lead over former New Yorker and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in South Carolina, he has been floundering behind Sanders when it comes to fundraising. Clyburn also felt strongly that the campaign needs to retool Get Out The Vote television messages.

This turn in the Democratic elections just goes to show how much power black and minority voters wield.