Key South Carolina Democrat raises alarm bells for Biden campaign
(CNN) — Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said Sunday that President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign isn’t breaking through the “MAGA wall.”
“I have no problem with the Biden administration and what it has done. My problem is we have not been able to break through that MAGA wall in order to get to people exactly what this president has done,” Clyburn said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
His comments come just days after Biden kicked off his 2024 campaign with an impassioned argument that GOP frontrunner former president Donald Trump could destroy American democracy.
“Donald Trump’s campaign is about him, not America. Not you. Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power,” Biden said.
While polling has shown that democracy itself is a central issue for Americans ahead of November’s election, Biden still faces stubbornly low approval ratings, persistent questions and concerns about his ability to serve another term; and diminished support from some key components of his winning coalition from 2020.
CNN’s inaugural “Road to 270” electoral map shows Biden the president struggling to re-create the Electoral College majority from his successful 2020 run and Trump with enough states solidly in his corner or leaning in his direction to put him in a position to win the presidency again.
Clyburn, whose 2020 endorsement of Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary was widely seen as instrumental in Biden’s victory, said Sunday that he’s met with Biden to express his concerns and stressed his view that the polls are not an accurate reflection of “where voters are.”
South Carolina is a critical state for Biden in the Democratic primary. While the president is almost assured to win the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden is looking for a strong showing in the state among Black voters to ensure he has support of a key voting constituency.
The-CNN-Wire
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