Presidential hopeful Joe Biden (D) said he thinks some of his fellow candidates should consider dropping out of the race after South Carolina.
In an interview with The Post and Courier, Biden said that “losses are going to dictate” that some of the candidates will have to end their campaigns.
“They would have to consider dropping out, not because I want them to or anybody else does, but because the victories and losses are going to dictate it.”
“How do you stay in if you have demonstrated you can’t get any African American support?” Biden asked.
“How do you stay in if you don’t get support in South Carolina? So I just think the process is going to take care of that. I don’t think it requires anybody to say, ‘get out of the race.'”
Throughout the campaign, Biden has maintained that the candidate who wins the Democratic presidential nomination would have to win the “overwhelming support from the black community.”
Additionally, he has claimed, “I am far and ahead of everybody in the African-American community.” However, recent polls have found that Biden’s support among African Americans has taken a dip. Regardless, Biden has expressed confidence that he would win the state.
African Americans are expected to make up about 60% of the voter turn out in the Democratic primary, making them a crucial voting bloc in the state.
During the debate on Feb. 25, Biden was asked if he would drop out of the race if he lost South Carolina. Instead of entertaining the idea, he responded, “I will win South Carolina.”
An average of polls from South Carolina by RealClearPolitics finds that Biden has a double-digit over Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.).
Biden’s comments come as pressure has increased for candidates to drop out so voters can rally around an alternative to Sanders and block him from winning the nomination.