Are Black South Carolina Voters Feeling the Bern?

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Are Black South Carolina Voters Feeling the Bern?

February 13th, 2016

Awake Goy

Bernie Sanders is attempting to attract young, black voters in South Carolina.

In a January South Carolina poll, Hillary Clinton led rival Bernie Sanders 64%-27% among likely Democratic primary voters. Clinton’s advantage was largely due to the fact that 74% of the black voters polled favored her compared to 17% favoring Sanders. If black South Carolina voters are Clinton’s “firewall”, Sanders is trying to dismantle it.

According to his campaign officers, Sanders has six campaign offices, 53 paid staffers, and more than 100 part-time community organizers in South Carolina. Teams of staffers are going door-to-door in predominantly black neighborhoods. They have done interviews and run ads on black radio stations. The ads praise his record on civil rights and his promise to overhaul a criminal justice system that he says disproportionately targets black men. They have visited black churches and historically black institutions of higher education. Recently, they began running ads on television. A biographical spot on television informs viewers that Sanders has spent a career “fighting injustice and inequality” as an image of Martin Luther King, Jr. is shown on the screen.

In his speeches, Sanders notes that as a young college student he participated in the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and was arrested while participating in a protest against segregated public schools in Chicago. Sanders has also focused on the need to end poverty in the black community, his work to include funding in the Affordable Care Act for community health centers, and efforts to address felon disenfranchisement and minority vote suppression.

Sanders has obtained endorsements from several black leaders, among them some South Carolina lawmakers and former NAACP president Ben Jealous. However, Sanders’ supporters acknowledge that persuading black voters to give Sanders a chance is a challenge, but emphasize that his platform will help black Americans the most.

According to a Gallop poll, 30% of Democrats didn’t know who Sanders was at the end of 2015. Now that Sanders has introduced himself to South Carolina, it remains to be seen if black voters will Feel the Bern.

Are Black South Carolina Voters Feeling the Bern?

February 13th, 2016

Awake Goy

Bernie Sanders is attempting to attract young, black voters in South Carolina.

In a January South Carolina poll, Hillary Clinton led rival Bernie Sanders 64%-27% among likely Democratic primary voters. Clinton’s advantage was largely due to the fact that 74% of the black voters polled favored her compared to 17% favoring Sanders. If black South Carolina voters are Clinton’s “firewall”, Sanders is trying to dismantle it.

According to his campaign officers, Sanders has six campaign offices, 53 paid staffers, and more than 100 part-time community organizers in South Carolina. Teams of staffers are going door-to-door in predominantly black neighborhoods. They have done interviews and run ads on black radio stations. The ads praise his record on civil rights and his promise to overhaul a criminal justice system that he says disproportionately targets black men. They have visited black churches and historically black institutions of higher education. Recently, they began running ads on television. A biographical spot on television informs viewers that Sanders has spent a career “fighting injustice and inequality” as an image of Martin Luther King, Jr. is shown on the screen.

In his speeches, Sanders notes that as a young college student he participated in the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and was arrested while participating in a protest against segregated public schools in Chicago. Sanders has also focused on the need to end poverty in the black community, his work to include funding in the Affordable Care Act for community health centers, and efforts to address felon disenfranchisement and minority vote suppression.

Sanders has obtained endorsements from several black leaders, among them some South Carolina lawmakers and former NAACP president Ben Jealous. However, Sanders’ supporters acknowledge that persuading black voters to give Sanders a chance is a challenge, but emphasize that his platform will help black Americans the most.

According to a Gallop poll, 30% of Democrats didn’t know who Sanders was at the end of 2015. Now that Sanders has introduced himself to South Carolina, it remains to be seen if black voters will Feel the Bern.

Are Black South Carolina Voters Feeling the Bern?

February 13th, 2016

Awake Goy

Bernie Sanders is attempting to attract young, black voters in South Carolina.

In a January South Carolina poll, Hillary Clinton led rival Bernie Sanders 64%-27% among likely Democratic primary voters. Clinton’s advantage was largely due to the fact that 74% of the black voters polled favored her compared to 17% favoring Sanders. If black South Carolina voters are Clinton’s “firewall”, Sanders is trying to dismantle it.

According to his campaign officers, Sanders has six campaign offices, 53 paid staffers, and more than 100 part-time community organizers in South Carolina. Teams of staffers are going door-to-door in predominantly black neighborhoods. They have done interviews and run ads on black radio stations. The ads praise his record on civil rights and his promise to overhaul a criminal justice system that he says disproportionately targets black men. They have visited black churches and historically black institutions of higher education. Recently, they began running ads on television. A biographical spot on television informs viewers that Sanders has spent a career “fighting injustice and inequality” as an image of Martin Luther King, Jr. is shown on the screen.

In his speeches, Sanders notes that as a young college student he participated in the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and was arrested while participating in a protest against segregated public schools in Chicago. Sanders has also focused on the need to end poverty in the black community, his work to include funding in the Affordable Care Act for community health centers, and efforts to address felon disenfranchisement and minority vote suppression.

Sanders has obtained endorsements from several black leaders, among them some South Carolina lawmakers and former NAACP president Ben Jealous. However, Sanders’ supporters acknowledge that persuading black voters to give Sanders a chance is a challenge, but emphasize that his platform will help black Americans the most.

According to a Gallop poll, 30% of Democrats didn’t know who Sanders was at the end of 2015. Now that Sanders has introduced himself to South Carolina, it remains to be seen if black voters will Feel the Bern.