Biden back in South Carolina to address HBCU, honor Clyburn

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FILE - Democratic statesmanlike campaigner erstwhile Vice President Joe Biden speaks astatine a superior nighttime predetermination rally successful Columbia, S.C., Feb. 29, 2020, aft winning the South Carolina primary, arsenic Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., watches. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – To House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, President Joe Biden's Friday travel to South Carolina is much than an ally's sojourn to a important early-voting state. It's a manifestation of the decades-long narration betwixt the 2 almighty Democrats, successful a spot that's played a pivotal relation successful cementing some of their legacies.

Biden is addressing December graduates astatine South Carolina State University, a historically Black schoolhouse successful Orangeburg. It's the alma mater of Clyburn, the top-ranking Black subordinate of Congress and South Carolina's lone legislature Democrat.

There were nary December ceremonies erstwhile Clyburn graduated successful 1961, truthful helium received his diploma by mail. Instead of addressing this year's graduates, arsenic had been planned, Clyburn volition beryllium marching with the students himself, crossing the signifier to person his diploma from Biden, whom helium asked to look successful his stead.

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The president’s sojourn comes astatine a fraught clip for his agenda, with the aboriginal of his $2 trillion societal and biology spending bundle successful doubt. While Democrats had hoped to marque advancement connected the measure earlier Christmas, continued disagreements among lawmakers person each but halted negotiations, and Biden himself has signaled Democrats should displacement their absorption to passing a voting rights measure — different dense assistance successful the evenly-divided Senate.

Biden has spent overmuch of the week engaged successful those legislative negotiations, but helium has said he’s anxious to assistance his longtime person out.

“I’d astir locomotion to South Carolina to beryllium capable to bash that for Jim,” Biden said this week successful an interview with WLTX-TV successful Columbia. “Jim has been a champion for each the things that matter.”

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The 2 men had been readying a gathering successful South Carolina, Clyburn told reporters this week, and they figured this juncture would suffice. The meetup is important for both, successful that it's Biden's archetypal clip arsenic president successful South Carolina, wherever Clyburn's nationalist enactment is credited with boosting him to the Democratic nomination.

On the cusp of South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary, aft struggling done less-than-stellar performances successful different early-voting contests, Biden secured a public endorsement from Clyburn, an awaited awesome for galore Black voters that Biden would beryllium the campaigner to basal up for their interests.

“My buddy Jim Clyburn, you brought maine back!” Biden said successful his triumph speech, aft winning South Carolina by astir 30 percent points, crediting Clyburn for breathing caller beingness into his campaign.

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Biden subsequently bested main rival Bernie Sanders connected Super Tuesday and claimed the information earlier defeating Republican incumbent Donald Trump successful the wide election.

On Wednesday, Clyburn said helium was gladsome to person played a relation successful Biden's win, but said the president had earned it.

“People tin springiness maine recognition for his resounding triumph present successful South Carolina, but helium deserves it,” Clyburn said during a telephone with reporters. “I’m a bully capable person to judge the credit, but Joe Biden has a large narration with this state. ... He’s deserving of a batch much recognition from South Carolina than helium volition ever get, and I fishy that’s due to the fact that helium has a ‘D’ down his name."

Biden's roots successful the authorities are overmuch deeper than his 2020 campaign. Often coming to Kiawah Island adjacent Charleston for household vacations, Biden besides spent decades arsenic table mate to Fritz Hollings, South Carolina’s longtime Democratic senator. Biden eulogized Hollings astatine his 2019 funeral, a task helium antecedently performed for different South Carolina senator, Republican Strom Thurmond.

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During Wednesday's telephone with reporters, Clyburn astatine times got affectional conveying the gravitas of Friday's operation of idiosyncratic and nonrecreational accomplishments. As a politician, the quality to bring a sitting president to his location authorities shows constituents his ties to Biden, with whom Clyburn said Tuesday helium has a “very special” relationship.

Moreover, South Carolina State is besides the alma mater of his precocious woman Emily for whom the honors assemblage is named. Clyburn said helium would revel successful the quality to person his grade not lone from the president, but besides accompanied by his 3 daughters and each of his grandchildren.

"I fishy that the students volition retrieve it for the remainder of their lives," Clyburn said of the event. “Not lone volition I get to march, but the president of the United States is going to manus maine my degree.”

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Meg Kinnard tin beryllium reached astatine http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.


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