Hillary Clinton’s campaign had a rocky start in the Democratic nominating contests with a narrow victory in Iowa and a thorough drubbing by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. But she scored a clear win in Nevada last week and then racked up an even bigger margin over Sanders in South Carolina on Saturday.
Clinton hopes momentum from the dominating performance carries her through Super Tuesday next week, when Democrats cast ballots in 11 states and one territory, and on to her party’s presidential nomination. "Tomorrow, this campaign goes national!" Clinton said to big applause Saturday night in Columbia. "We are going to compete for every vote in every state. We are not taking anything and we're not taking anyone for granted."
A few takeaways from South Carolina:
Wading in to the contentious presidential race that he once considered joining, Vice President Joe Biden told California Democrats at the party's convention here that the Republican candidates haven't changed their positions, only their tone.
"They haven't changed at all, folks," said Biden. "They've just gotten meaner."
Speaking in Minnesota after his double-digit loss to Hillary Clinton in South Carolina, Bernie Sanders said Saturday that his presidential campaign was more about "transforming America" than winning the race.
"What this campaign is about is not just electing a president," Sanders said at a rally in Rochester. "Yeah, that's really important, but there's something that's more important.... It is about transforming America; it is about thinking big and the kind of country we want to become."
Sanders, who spent little time in South Carolina in recent days as a big loss for him was forecast, said he needs more than just voter support at the polls.
On a given night, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Tonight, we lost.
Hillary Clinton's top African American surrogate in South Carolina attributed her decisive win here to her commitment to building on the Obama administration’s efforts to create jobs and grow the economy.
Clinton's loyalty to the administration did not go unnoticed, said Rep. James E. Clyburn. Among blacks, President Obama remains widely popular, and Clinton has repeatedly reminded voters here of her ties to him.
“South Carolinians have said if you work hard, if you build the resume, if you remain true to your own principles, if you remain loyal to the administration that got this economy out of the ditch, and if you lay out a plan on how you would build on that record … you will be rewarded,” Clyburn said as he introduced Clinton on Saturday night at her victory party.
Hillary Clinton -- confident, fiery and prepared to move on to Super Tuesday -- vowed to push an agenda that benefits African Americans like those who helped propel her to a strong victory in South Carolina on Saturday.
“We have to face the reality of systemic racism that, more than a half a century after Rosa Parks sat, Dr. King marched and John Lewis led, still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in America and who gets left behind,” Clinton, noting current and past civil rights leaders, said inside a gymnasium on the campus of the University of South Carolina. “We have to invest in communities of color.”
Here's a screenshot of our results map. Hillary Clinton was designated in blue; Bernie Sanders was in brown.