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Democratic Presidential Field Falls Flat with Black Students

Chris Simkins

   At South Carolina State University, a historically black public
   institution of higher learning, some students shuttle between campus
   buildings, while others bury their faces in textbooks. Many of these
   African Americans students are focused on their studies, not the
   upcoming 2020 presidential election.

   "A lot of our generation, a lot of my friends, say, 'I'm not going to
   vote because my vote doesn't matter,'" said Kayla Hasty, a senior
   biology major from Ridgeland, South Carolina.

   Hasty points to apathy among blacks who didn't vote in the 2016
   election. Now, she is encouraging young people between the ages of 18
   to 34 to vote in South Carolina's second-in-the-nation presidential
   primary contest on Feb. 29.

   "So, instead of already feeling defeated, do something about it," she
   said. "Are you going to suffer for four more years of the same thing
   that you could have prevented had you (gone) and voted?"

   Black voters make up about 25% of the Democratic electorate nationwide,
   however, they account for roughly two-thirds of the party's primary
   voters in South Carolina. As an early voting state, it can play a
   pivotal role in determining which Democratic candidate will win the
   nomination and face President Donald Trump next November.

   "Whoever receives a large chunk of that black vote (in South Carolina)
   will have a much easier time" rallying black support elsewhere, said
   Willie Black, a political science professor at South Carolina State
   University. "I don't see any of the candidates in the current field
   matching the numbers that (2016 Democratic nominee) Hillary Clinton or
   (former President) Barack Obama did in receiving African American
   votes," he added.

   Political analysts say voter participation among young blacks declines
   precipitously if there's a lack of enthusiasm for the candidates -- a
   phenomenon that could play out in South Carolina next year.

   "I feel as though each candidate is just trying to beat the current
   president. They're not really trying to push off or present anything
   that's really attention-getting," said Lamar Henry, who is studying to
   go to medical school.

   Polls consistently have shown former Vice President Joe Biden leading
   the pack in South Carolina, with strong backing from the black
   community, which accounts for 27% of the state's population. Widely
   regarded as a moderate, Biden does particularly well among older
   African American voters. He struggles with progressives of all races,
   who tend to be younger.

   "When we look within the party itself, the Democratic Party itself, you
   see that the vote is kind of fragmented," Black said. "You have Joe
   Biden leading the pack. South Carolina is his firewall, especially if
   Biden underperforms in Iowa and New Hampshire" -- states with
   nominating contests ahead of South Carolina.

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