Column

Black Men Have Already Changed the Election’s Course—and Will Continue To

With a single endorsement, James Clyburn changed Biden’s fate. It won’t be an isolated incident.

Election workers wear protective face masks as they check in voters during the primary election at Central United Methodist Church in Detroit, Michigan, on March 10, 2020. Photo: Jeff Kowalsky/Getty Images

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Joe Biden ran for president in 1988. He ran again in 2008. During those two campaigns, he failed to win a single Democratic caucus or primary. The losing streak continued for the first three events of the 2020 presidential primaries. Yet, since the South Carolina primary on February 29, Biden has taken 15 state contests, opening a sizable delegate lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Something changed. And that something was a someone. U.S. Rep. James Clyburn from South Carolina, to be exact.

Days before his state’s primary, Clyburn announced he would be endorsing the onetime vice president — but even more, he urged residents to do the same. “South Carolina should be voting for Joe Biden,” he said. “I know Joe. We know Joe. But most importantly, Joe knows us,” The result wasn’t just a win for Biden, but a 25-point margin of victory in a state where Black voters constitute up to 60% of the Democratic electorate.