In Raleigh, Joe Biden says ‘full comeback’ starts with SC primary
Hours before finding out what voters would decide in the must-win state of South Carolina, Joe Biden campaigned in North Carolina.
“The full comeback starts in South Carolina,” Biden told a crowd at St. Augustine’s University during a short rally.
After disappointing results in three states left the former vice president trailing his main rival for the nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden was in need of a win. He was hoping his strength with black voters would hold up in South Carolina — and in North Carolina, which votes Tuesday.
Biden took the microphone at the historically black college in Raleigh saying, “put me in, Coach” after being introduced by two members of Congress, Rep. David Price and Rep. G.K. Butterfield.
He came out swinging against President Donald Trump.
“There’s never been an election more consequential. Not because I’m running, but because of the man sitting in the White House,” Biden said.
“This president is totally unmoored from reality and personally incapable of telling the truth. … The rest of the world wants to know what in God’s name is happening,” Biden said. He said Trump has no shame and must be defeated.
State Sen. Paul Lowe of Winston-Salem told the crowd that he endorsed Biden because “he tells the truth.” Other North Carolina state lawmakers who have endorsed Biden are Sen. Mike Woodard of Durham and Sen. Sam Searcy of Wake County, who were both at the rally, too.
Biden talked about what being American means to him. He said Americans choose hope over fear, science over fiction, empathy over cruelty and “most important of all, we choose truth over lies.”
“With Donald Trump as president, everything that’s made America, America is at risk. ... I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose my country to this man,” Biden said.
St. Augustine’s
Hundreds of people waited outside on a brisk Leap Day morning before filling the gym at St. Augustine’s, a private HBCU just outside downtown Raleigh.
In the crowd was Natasha Faircloth, a high school teacher in Sampson County. She drove to Raleigh for Biden’s rally because she was interested to hear what he had to say about health care, day care and immigration in the state. She teaches family and consumer science.
Faircloth is still deciding between for Biden and Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic presidential primary.
“But whoever wins the Democratic nomination, I’m definitely going to support,” she said.
“I know [Sanders] is one of the front-runners, but I’m leaning toward Joe a little more because he’s been there before,” Faircloth said, referring to Biden’s time as vice president.
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Jamon Smith, 26, and Rashad Muldrow, 27, both work in maintenance at St. Augustine’s and live in Raleigh.
“I just want Trump out of there. [Biden’s] way better than Trump,” Smith said.
Muldrow said he’ll vote for whoever the Democratic nominee is.
“I think Biden and Bernie Sanders are about the same, honestly,” Muldrow said.
Arliss Newman of Garner said that Biden is “more in line with what I believe” than other primary candidates.
“He’s been solid for immigration, students, the economy, working class, the poor and health care. He has solid policy,” Newman said. “To me, it’s [about being] practical, not a lot of stuff you can’t pay for. And above all, he seems to be a man of integrity.”
Newman said the United States has lost respect abroad since Trump has been in office. He hopes Biden can bring that back, but will vote for the Democratic nominee regardless of who it is.
In trying to appeal to African-American voters in the Triangle, Biden has spoken at the historically black Hillside High School in Durham and now at St. Augustine’s, one of several HBCUs that are getting attention from presidential candidates this year.
The St. Augustine’s rally lasted about an hour. Biden took selfies with supporters and then planned to head back to South Carolina for another campaign event.
Butterfield urged the crowd to stay up late Saturday night and watch the South Carolina primary results.
Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg visits
Biden wasn’t the only presidential candidate campaigning in North Carolina on Saturday. Pete Buttigieg planned to hold a town hall at 7 p.m. Saturday at Broughton High School in Raleigh, and Mike Bloomberg and Amy Klobuchar were both planning to attend a Democratic Party event Saturday night in Charlotte.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Domecast politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
This story was originally published February 29, 2020 at 1:32 PM with the headline "In Raleigh, Joe Biden says ‘full comeback’ starts with SC primary."
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