'I Will Win'

Joe Biden needs a victory in the South Carolina primary on Saturday. Can he pull it off? [Image Biden SC]( Drew Angerer/Getty Images The Big Picture: Biden Needs A Big Win South Carolina has picked four of the last six Democratic nominees. The two exceptions — Jesse Jackson in 1988 and John Edwards in 2004. Jackson had strength with black voters, and Edwards was born in South Carolina. Jackson did well in the 1988 primary race but wasn’t able to expand much beyond his support with black voters. Is history repeating itself with Biden? Biden is the favorite in the state's primary on Saturday, as black voters are expected to be more than 60% of the electorate. He had promised to do well with white, working-class voters AND voters of color. But so far, he has lost white voters without a college degree in every state, averaging only 13% with the group. He lost Latinos by more than 30 points to Bernie Sanders in Nevada. And while he won black voters in Nevada, Sanders ate into a good chunk of that support. Biden has rebounded in the last few days in South Carolina polls, but even with a big win there, he remains an underdog. That’s because of his shrinking base of support and his structural disadvantages on Super Tuesday. He’s being badly outspent on the airwaves (just $600,000 to Sanders’ $15.5 million) and he has fewer staffers on the ground. What’s more, in the states he is advertising, they are only places with significant black Democratic populations — and represent only 43% of the delegates at stake on Super Tuesday. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent [Follow South Carolina live coverage]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [city views of Milwaukee, Wisc., Pueblo, Colo. and Charlotte, N.C.]( Eric Baradat/AFP, Kevin J. Beaty/ NPR and Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images ICYMI: Top Stories Pence and public health: President Trump appointed Vice President Pence the head of his administration’s coronavirus response team this week despite criticizing former President Obama for a similar appointment in 2014. Pence critics pointed to his [inaction during an HIV outbreak in Indiana when he was governor]( that public health experts said worsened the outbreak. Coronavirus transparency: Lawmakers [voiced concern]( Friday about the Trump administration's messaging on the outbreak. They backed the medical response, but pressed for more information and test kits from public health experts. Trump reaches for black voters: [Fifteen Trump campaign offices will open soon in black communities]( as part of the president’s quest to attract voters in the demographic he has struggled with during his campaign. Campaign officials said they want to bring their message to voters without the interference of the media. Places to watch in 2020: As America gets deeper into the 2020 election cycle, there are some cities where [the battle for the country’s next leader]( is not straightforward. In communities like Pueblo, Colo., and Charlotte, N.C., changing demographics and shifting economies complicate the political conversation. SCOTUS on immigration: Conservative justices defended the shooting of a 15-year-old by a U.S. border patrol agent, [arguing there were foreign policy and national security issues at play.]( The highest court in the land also ruled that a statute that prohibited encouraging undocumented people to stay in the United States is unconstitutional. POTUS tweets from India: President Trump took some time out of his India trip to tell his Twitter followers that Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor should stay away from Trump administration cases. The president [called out Sotomayor’s recent criticism]( of how frequently the administration has gone to the Supreme Court after failures in lower courts. — Meredith Roaten, NPR Politics intern --------------------------------------------------------------- [South Carolina primary graphic]( Caroline Amenabar/NPR The Shot: Everything You Need To Know About The South Carolina Primary The South Carolina primary is today! Saturday’s first-in-the-South primary marks the end of the early state contests and comes just before a slew of primaries on Super Tuesday. [See more on Instagram]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](