Biden Goes on Defense as He Faces Rivals at Black Voters Forum

(Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden is trying to make amends after a misstep over his history of working alongside segregationist senators as he heads for a weekend of campaign events in South Carolina, where African-American voters are crucial to victory in the state’s Democratic primary

He is under particular pressure from the two major African-American candidates, Senators Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey, who’ve been his fiercest critics in recent days.

On Thursday evening, Biden met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, according to a person familiar with the meeting, who added that the session had been planned before the former vice president’s remarks about two segregationist senators early this week touched off a political firestorm.

Both the Booker and Biden campaigns said Wednesday evening that the former vice president had called Booker to try to put to rest the quarrel. Biden stood by his refusal to apologize for the remarks, though the tone of the conversation was conciliatory, according to a person with the matter.

The call was reported earlier by the New York Times.

Biden’s appearance at South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn’s “World Famous Fish Fry” on Friday will be the first time he has participated in a gathering of most of the 2020 candidates. The event in Columbia was set to play to Biden’s strengths as a seasoned, glad-handing politician, but the latest controversy could cut into his strong support among black voters, who account for about 60% of South Carolina’s electorate.

Biden has been fending off criticism for comments to donors on Tuesday that early in his Senate career he’d been able to maintain a climate of “civility” with lawmakers who supported segregation. He has refused to apologize for the remarks, adding fuel to a dispute that could signal the start of a more confrontational phase of the Democratic primary campaign.

Obama’s Deputy

Biden benefits from goodwill among black voters stemming from his eight-year tenure as Barack Obama’s deputy, and hopes to use the fish fry to lock in his double-digit lead in the polls before the contenders head to Miami for the first debates of the 2020 nomination contest on June 26 and 27.

Dick Harpootlian, a former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said the fish fry, which has attracted presidential candidates for almost 30 years, was usually a moment for the contenders to relax.

“One must come to the fish fry, eat the fish, drink the beer and mingle with voters,” he said. “In the past, most of the candidates are bold enough to dance. There’s usually some pretty lively music, and no one will ever forget Hillary Clinton dancing on that stage.”

In recent weeks, Biden has largely kept himself above the fray by skipping other important so-called cattle calls, including the California Democratic Convention in San Francisco and the Iowa Democratic Party’s Hall of Fame event in Cedar Rapids.

Fourth Contest

The fish fry, which the vice president has attended many times, is an opportunity to solidify his longstanding ties to South Carolina, which will hold the fourth Democratic nominating contest in 2020, after Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

“One of the things he’s very good at is one-on-one campaigning so this weekend will give him an opportunity to shine,” said Harpootlian, who has endorsed Biden. “His advantage is everybody knows who he is.”

He added: “He comes to this weekend firming up relationships. Many others come to this weekend trying to establish relationships.”

Still, some say Biden’s recent comments and his past record on racial issues -- including his support for tough-on-crime legislation and his handling of Anita Hill’s testimony during Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings in 1991 -- will hurt him in South Carolina.

‘Don’t Try to Justify’

“Mr. Biden needs to own up to the past,” said Johnnie Cordero, chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party Black Caucus. “Stop being ashamed of it, and please don’t try to justify it based on what was happening at the time. Say. ‘I did it. I now realize that it was wrong. I’m a different person today. Here’s how I feel.’ Move on.”

The latest South Carolina poll shows Biden with 37% support, followed by Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts with 17%, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 11%. Harris and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont each have 9%; Booker is in sixth place with 5%.

Clyburn’s role as the kingmaker of South Carolina Democratic politics will also be front and center this weekend. The congressman, first elected in 1992, hasn’t endorsed a candidate, but some political observers say he’s all but said he is supporting Biden.

Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina state representative and CNN political commentator who endorsed Harris, told McClatchy this week that Clyburn “is tacitly endorsing” Biden.

Currying Favor

Yet two former Clyburn staffers are working for Booker’s campaign, and without an explicit endorsement, all the candidates are looking to curry favor with the longtime lawmaker.

“Having him think kindly towards you if you’re a candidate is easily understood and acknowledged by all as a good sign,” said Don Fowler, former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party and a former national chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Fowler said Clyburn’s political operation backed Obama over Clinton in 2008, and though Clyburn never publicly endorsed a candidate, his staff’s support helped Obama win the South Carolina primary on the way to securing the Democratic nomination.

“This year, it’s a little more complicated because we have a lot more candidates and we have several African American candidates -- Senator Harris and Senator Booker most prominently -- and both of them as well as others would dearly love Jim Clyburn’s support,” Fowler said.

Beyond the fish fry on Friday evening, candidates will speak at the South Carolina Democratic Party convention, where Booker will speak right before Biden. Many of them will also address a forum hosted by Planned Parenthood.

Sellers warned that Democrats looking to win South Carolina are going to need to do more than just do well this weekend.

“This is a big weekend no doubt, but if you haven’t laid the foundation which Booker and Harris and Beto [O’Rourke] have, for example, this is not necessarily the leaping off point,” he said. “There has to be some familiarity with voters. South Carolina is a place where you need to have the infrastructure to win.”

--With assistance from Jennifer Epstein.

To contact the reporters on this story: Tyler Pager in Washington at tpager1@bloomberg.net;Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, John Harney

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.