The 2020 South Carolina primary

The South Carolina primary is over and former Vice President Joe Biden has been named the winner.

A lot happened tonight. Catch up on the key takeaways below:

Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bloomberg are all studying their path forward tonight, advisers to the respective campaigns tell CNN.

Klobuchar and Warren are committed to Super Tuesday, when voters in their home states cast ballots.

But one of the biggest questions remains: What are Buttigieg and Bloomberg thinking about their next move?

All four of the candidates are scheduled to be in Selma, Alabama, for the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the annual reenactment of the bridge crossing.

Joe Biden will also be in Selma on Sunday, allowing an opportunity for conversations – or more – among all of the Democratic rivals.

The most pressing question may be for Buttigieg. He is scheduled to go to Texas, Oklahoma and California – before ending Super Tuesday in Michigan.

For now, that schedule holds. But a top Democrat close to the Buttigieg campaign acknowledged tonight that the former mayor is studying whether he has a path forward. He hasn’t reached a conclusion tonight — or if so, he hasn’t talked about it openly, even among his small circle of advisers. Buttigieg’s team knows that how he leaves the race — if it comes to that — is important to his future.

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Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill Biden, speaks at a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 29.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is leading the popular vote so far with 281,164 votes (27.8%) after four Democratic contests.

That’s 30,216 more votes than Bernie Sanders, who comes in a distant second with 250,948 votes (24.8%).

Here’s where the rest of the candidates stand:

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Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, February 29.

Joe Biden’s delegate count increased again tonight from 34 to 41.

Biden now is only 12 delegates behind Bernie Sanders, who is leading with 53.

Pete Buttigieg has 26 delegates, Elizabeth Warren has eight and Amy Klobuchar has seven.

Remember: The candidates need 1,991 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.

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Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar congratulated former Vice President Joe Biden for his victory in South Carolina at events tonight.

Klobuchar, who received less than favorable returns from the South Carolina contest, said, “And I want to start out by congratulating the Vice President on South Carolina.”

Speaking at the Blue NC Celebration in Charlotte, Klobuchar then quickly pivoted to Super Tuesday, saying, “And now we know that all eyes are on North Carolina.” 

Tom Steyer said he decided to get out of the 2020 presidential race after he couldn’t see a “path where I can win.”

He thanked his supporters and pledged that he would support the Democratic presidential nominee, though he didn’t say he would endorse a specific candidate.

“Every Democrat is a million times better than Trump. Trump is a disaster,” Steyer said, noting that South Carolina’s Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was also a “disaster.”

Steyer turned pensive about his just-shuttered presidential bid.

“When the Lord closes a door, he opens a window. I will find that window and I will crawl through it with you,” Steyer said. “I promise you that. I love you very much. This has been a great experience. I have zero regrets. Meeting you and the rest of the American people was the highlight of my life.”

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Dr. Jill Biden spoke to CNN tonight about President Trump’s comments about her husband and son, Hunter, saying, “As a mother, it’s very hard for me to see my son attacked, and to see my husband attacked.”

Throughout his impeachment, Trump repeatedly brought up the Bidens and, in particular, Hunter Biden’s connection to Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

“These are all distractions for Donald Trump,” she said.

Asked if tonight’s win in South Carolina will give her husband’s candidacy momentum into Super Tuesday, Jill said, “This is just the beginning.” 

“I’m a marathon runner. This is just the beginning of or marathon…I think we’re going to take it the whole way.”

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Despite tonight’s win for Joe Biden in South Carolina, Bernie Sanders is leading the delegate count.

Why this matters: The candidates must reach 1,991 delegates to become the party’s nominee.

Here’s where things stand now:

Pete Buttigieg said he is proud of the votes his campaign has earned, and that he is determined to “earn every vote on the road ahead.”

As votes continue to be counted in South Carolina on Saturday, Buttigieg took the stage in Raleigh, North Carolina, and congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the state’s primary. 

“I want to thank the voters of South Carolina,” Buttigieg told supporters. “Especially the black voters of South Carolina who showed that famous Southern hospitality over the last year, welcoming us into their homes and churches and neighborhoods and businesses.” 

Tom Steyer is expected to end his presidential campaign on Saturday night, according to a campaign source.

The billionaire businessman will exit the race after he failed to claim victory in South Carolina, a state he invested heavily in, hoping it would turn around his sputtering run.

Steyer spent more than $200 million on advertising for his presidential campaign, and contributed about $155 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. But the power of Steyer’s money was partially blunted late in his campaign by the entrance of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has spent more than $500 million on ads in a few short months, effectively watering down Steyer’s omnipresence.

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Former Vice President Joe Biden declared a new life for his campaign following his projected victory in South Carolina.

“For those of you who’ve been counted out, knocked down, left behind, this is your campaign,” Biden told supporters in Columbia, South Carolina.

He said this win will help him in the coming contests on Super Tuesday.

“Now you launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump. This campaign is taking off so join us!”

Biden was joined on stage by his wife Jill Biden and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn. Biden nodded to Clyburn’s coveted endorsement this week before he launched into his speech.

“My buddy Jim Clyburn here. You brought me back!” Biden said, embracing Clyburn.

Biden also took a shot at those calling for a “political revolution,” a common refrain for Bernie Sanders and his supporters.

“Most Americans don’t want the promise of revolution,” Biden said. “They want more than promises. They want results.”

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Representative Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Virginia and Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, speaks during a press conference on Wednesday, February 5.

Adding to his support in the commonwealth, former Vice President Joe Biden picked up an endorsement from longtime Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia tonight.

Scott, who has represented Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District since 1993 and is dean of the Virginia delegation, is the 20th Congressional Black Caucus member to announce their support for Biden.

Scott’s endorsement is the second one of the night: Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe  endorsed Biden for president earlier tonight.

Democratic presidential candidate, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks during a campaign rally held at the Tri-City Aviation on February 28.

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg wasn’t on the ballot in South Carolina — or in any of the Democratic races so far — but his campaign manager is reacting tonight to the state’s Democratic primary.

Bloomberg’s campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said they’ve been focused “on organizing Democrats and building infrastructure in states all around the country.”

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang described Joe Biden as “the new comeback kid” following his win in the South Carolina Democratic primary.

Yang called for other candidates in the race to think about whether they can win if they are going to move forward with their campaigns.

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Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives for a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, February 29.

Joe Biden tops the Democratic field in South Carolina with the highest favorability rating of any candidate tested Saturday, according to preliminary exit polls in the state. 

The former vice president and projected South Carolina primary winner dominated, according to early polling, with around three quarters of voters saying they have a favorable opinion of him.

Businessman Tom Steyer, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren all hit slightly above half in their favorability numbers, with about 2 in 5 voters finding each unfavorable. 

Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg lands at around half favorable, with less than half unfavorable. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s unfavorability barely outpaced her favorability in early polling.

Only a quarter of voters said they have a favorable opinion of former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, while two thirds found him unfavorable. 

Biden’s ratings are significantly higher among black voters, a group that carried his projected win in South Carolina, with almost 9 in 10 having a favorable opinion.

Bernie Sanders acknowledged that he didn’t win South Carolina’s primary while addressing supporters in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Saturday night.

“I want to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory tonight,” he added. “And now we’re on to Super Tuesday in Virginia.”

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There is no rush to push Amy Klobuchar or Elizabeth Warren out of the race — yet — and here’s why: Joe Biden’s campaign needs them in the race on Tuesday.

Team Biden believes having Klobuchar in the race through Super Tuesday is incredibly helpful to them.

Why? It blocks Bernie Sanders in the Minnesota primary on Tuesday.

Four years ago, Sanders crushed Hillary Clinton in Minnesota, winning 62% to 38% in the state’s caucuses. He has a strong appeal to Minnesota voters. But this year, it’s a primary contest which Klobuchar advisers believe she is poised to win or be incredibly competitive with Sanders.

A similar argument is true for Warren in Massachusetts. The Biden campaign wants Warren to be in the race through Super Tuesday, when Massachusetts voters weigh in.

Pete Buttigieg does not have such a home state argument to make, but three advisers to his campaign say he intends to stay in the race through Super Tuesday. But a conversation is happening tonight about his future, they tell CNN, and a decision has not been made.

Advisers to all Democratic candidates insist they have no plans to leave the race before Super Tuesday. We’ll see if that holds as the strength of Biden’s victory crystalizes.

One thing to note: All eyes are on Mike Bloomberg’s campaign— and whether the former New York City mayor offers any signal about making a major decision about his future in the race before Tuesday.

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Biden speaks at a campaign event at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Saturday, February 29.

This is the third time Joe Biden has run for president, but South Carolina is projected to give Biden something new: An outright victory. 

He first ran in the 1988 cycle but didn’t even make it to the primary voting period. His campaign was derailed in September 1987 after a plagiarism scandal in his stump speech. 

Biden made it to Iowa in his 2008 bid, but dropped out after a poor showing in the caucuses. Barack Obama tapped him to be his running mate in August 2008.

Now, Biden has so far notched underwhelming finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, he’s already gone further than his previous presidential bids.

Biden himself has set expectations high for his South Carolina performance. “The full comeback starts in South Carolina and then goes here on Tuesday,” Biden said while rallying supporters in North Carolina on Saturday.

Correction: The headline on this post has been corrected to accurately characterize how many times Biden has run for president.

Supporters cheer as the polls close for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden at his primary night event in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday, February 29.

Joe Biden surged to a projected victory in South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary with a base rooted in black voters, those over the age of 65 and moderates, according to preliminary results.

Biden won around 3 in 5 black voters, dominating over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, his closest competitor who got almost 1 in 5 of the group. Businessman Tom Steyer came close to Sanders, with around 1 in 7 black voters.

Almost 3 in 5 voters over the age of 65 supported Biden in his run in South Carolina, followed by Steyer and Sanders with slightly more than 1 in 10. 

Biden led among moderate voters with more than half of the group supporting him. However, Biden also won over voters who consider themselves very liberal, with around 2 in 5 of the group, surpassing Sanders with 3 in 10. Elizabeth Warren followed Sanders with around 1 in 7 very liberal voters.

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Saturday endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president. 

Virginia is a Super Tuesday state, and voters will head to the polls next week to vote in the state’s Democratic primary.

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