'Feeling Good About Where We Are:' Biden Cruises in SC

President Biden scored an easy win in South Carolina's Democratic primary Saturday—voting that officially kicks off his party's nominating process. (Republicans don't vote in the state until later this month.) The AP called the race for Biden as soon as polls closed at 7pm Eastern over Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson. While the outcome was never in doubt, the long and sometimes contentious process that saw the Democratic National Committee officially put South Carolina in its presidential primary's leadoff made the contest noteworthy, per the AP.

• On the trail: Biden was in Delaware—not South Carolina—on Saturday before leaving for a trip to California and Nevada. He attended an open house at his campaign headquarters in Wilmington, telling supporters, "I'm feeling good about where we are." The president said voters around the country are beginning to focus on the election, and "the polling data is picking up across the board."
• Republicans: The GOP's South Carolina primary is Feb. 24. Donald Trump leads Nikki Haley by more than 20 points in the state where she once served as governor.
• The new order: Yes, Biden finished first in New Hampshire last month, but it was unofficial in the eyes of the national party—the state went ahead with the vote even though the party changed the order of state contests. Biden successfully pushed for South Carolina to go first followed three days later by Nevada. The new calendar also moves the Democratic primary of Michigan, a large and diverse swing state, to Feb. 27, before the expansive field of states voting on March 5, known as Super Tuesday.

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