Sanders made his second trip as a candidate this weekend to South Carolina, the first southern primary state where hell face a Democratic primary electorate that will be largely African American. Clinton enjoys long-standing support and name recognition there while Sanders is relatively unknown.
Sanders held three public events in South Carolina including a town hall meeting in Columbia at the historically black Benedict College. In Florence, S.C., he also held a town hall and met privately with about 50 mostly black leaders and elected officials, many of whom went into the meeting thinking they were committed to Clinton, said author and civil rights activist Cornel West, who joined Sanders for the events. Its clear that they are rethinking their position, West said. I think that were going to be in for some surprises in the black community in South Carolina.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, the states only Democrat in Congress, said he expects Clinton to sweep South Carolina under present conditions. Clinton, who came in second in the 2008 South Carolina primary, has lined up support from dozens of mayors and community officials along with two former governors.
Sanders plans to open more offices in South Carolina. But he's also planning to invest in staff and look into advertising in Super Tuesday states and beyond. He scheduled events on Sunday in North Carolina and on Monday in Virginia, including a speech at the evangelical Christian Liberty University.
