A whopping 71% of likely Democratic primary voters in South Carolina are leaning towards voting for Hillary Clinton, according to a new poll out on Wednesday from Winthrop University. Bernie Sanders takes 15% of the vote, while Martin O’Malley earns just 2%.
Clinton’s support is even stronger in the African-American community, where she sweeps with 80% support among likely voters.
In Atlanta last week the Clinton campaign unveiled a nationwide “African-Americans for Hillary” initiative; she also spoke in the Palmetto State at an NAACP dinner last Friday.
“African-Americans can make up over 50% of the Democratic presidential primary vote in South Carolina, which is a much larger portion than you’ll see in the Iowa Caucus or New Hampshire primary,” said Scott Huffmon, the Winthrop polling director, in a statement accompanying the poll results.
Vice President Joe Biden’s decision not to enter the race affected voters here: 34% of Clinton and 46% of Sanders supporters said they would have backed the vice president over their first choice had he decided to enter the race.
Martin O’Malley, former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore, continues his uphill battle for name recognition: 54% of South Carolina voters said that were unfamiliar with him.
Clinton also stands as the most electable candidate in a general election. Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they think she could win a general election, while 29% think Sanders can and only 9% think O’Malley can.
The poll surveyed 832 likely voters between October 24-November 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent.