Biden Becomes Prohibitively Short Favorite to Win South Carolina Primary
- The South Carolina Democratic primary takes place on Saturday, Feb. 29th, 2020
- Joe Biden has become the overwhelming favorite at every sportsbook
- All of the South Carolina primary odds are listed below
All along, the pundits claimed that South Carolina would be where Joe Biden would strike, that this would be the state where Biden would sink his teeth into the race for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination.
More than one sportsbook is laying heavy odds that Biden will indeed take a big bite out of the Palmetto State.
2020 Democratic South Carolina Primary Odds
| Candidate | Odds at Sportsbook 1 | Odds at Sportsbook 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | -800 | -400 |
| Bernie Sanders | +500 | +250 |
| Pete Buttigieg | +10000 | +3300 |
| Elizabeth Warren | +10000 | +5000 |
| Amy Klobuchar | +10000 | +5000 |
| Tom Steyer | +10000 | +3300 |
Odds taken Feb. 27.
Biden is also the prohibitive chalk in the Democratic nomination odds.
Polls Buying Into Biden
Recent polls showed Biden ahead in South Carolina. A Monmouth University poll released this week strongly suggested that his advantage over the other candidates is growing rapidly.
That poll shows Biden with a 20-point lead over Bernie Sanders. The current frontrunner in the race, Sanders polled at just 16%. Biden, though, was the choice of a whopping 36% of respondents. Tom Steyer was right behind Sanders at 15%.
No other candidate drew more than 8% support.
https://twitter.com/matthewjdowd/status/1232467095364857857?s=20
The survey polled 454 people who identified as Democrats. Each participant voted in at least one primary or general election in 2016 or 2018. It comes with a margin of error of 4.6%.
Biden led in all demographics. He was the choice of 45% of African Americans. Just 13% of African-Americans who took the poll chose Sanders. That has to be disconcerting to the Sanders camp.
Biden was endorsed by South Carolina state majority whip James Clyburn. An African American, Clyburn is among the state’s most influential politicians.
Clyburn’s Biden endorsement, the kind that money can’t buy.
Deeply personal, methodical, mentioning friends and neighbors in South Carolina, invoking MLK Jr.
“I’m voting for Joe Biden, South Carolina should be voting for Joe Biden. And here’s why.”
— Adrian Carrasquillo (@Carrasquillo) February 26, 2020
Among women, Biden led Sanders by 25%. Seniors liked him 40% more than Sanders. Those under 50 favored Biden 31-18. Moderates preferred him over Sanders by 24 points. The progressive Sanders couldn’t even sway voters who identified as liberal. They went for Joe by a 33-24 count.
A second poll from South Carolina-based pollster Starboard Communications was released Friday. It showed Biden leading at 40%. Sanders (12%) is third behind Steyer (13%).
Obama Lends Helping Hand
Former President Barack Obama has remained at arm’s length from the Democratic race. That’s probably a wise decision with so many candidates still in contention.
However, Obama wasn’t about to allow his words to be twisted to besmirch his two-term Vice-President.
Obama has a law firm drafting a cease-and-desist order. It’s designed to prevent South Carolina TV stations from airing an anti-Biden ad funded by Republican supporters. In the ad, Obama says his words have been taken out of context to suggest that Biden is against African Americans.
An Obama spokesperson said he views the ad as an effort to suppress the African American vote. The objective of that would be hurting Biden’s chances of winning the state.
South Carolina Biden’s Stepping Stone
Things are about to get real in the Democratic race. Super Tuesday (March 3) is just around the corner, with more than 1,000 delegates up for grabs.
The carnage of that day will likely spell the end to several Presidential campaigns.
For some reason, many reasons, Biden’s campaign has disappointed his supporters thus far. But he might be finding his stride in South Carolina. Is this the Joe Biden people have been seeing? Is it too late? https://t.co/UNPBKqoau5
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) February 27, 2020
Already, it’s looking to be a three-candidate race. As others fade, the choice appears to be between Sanders, Biden, and Michael Bloomberg.
But Biden needs a significant triumph in South Carolina to propel his campaign. He’ll get it, and come Super Tuesday, the race truly begins.
Pick: Joe Biden (-400)
This article may contain links to external sports betting services. SBD may receive advertising revenue from these links, however editorial has hand-picked each individual link based on relevance to the article, without influence on the coverage.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
