Harris, Clyburn heading to South Carolina to file Biden paperwork for primary

Vice President Harris is traveling to South Carolina on Friday to register the Biden-Harris ticket for the state’s primary and to campaign in the Palmetto State, all alongside Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.).

Harris is set to deliver remarks at a campaign event with Clyburn, and the two will officially file the paperwork for President Biden and Harris to appear in South Carolina’s first-in-the-nation primary.

“The President is honored to have Vice President Harris and his campaign co-chair Congressman Clyburn officially make him a candidate, once again, in what is now proudly the first-in-the-nation primary. The Biden-Harris coalition will be out in full force in South Carolina and will be how we defeat MAGA extremism once again in 2024,” Biden campaign manager Michael Tyler said in a statement.

Clyburn’s endorsement of Biden during the 2020 Democratic primary propelled him to a win in the South Carolina primary, which led to his overall victory in the Democratic primary. Clyburn, who is serving as a campaign co-chair for the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign, will give remarks Friday about “what is at stake in the 2024 election,” according to the Biden campaign.

South Carolina is a first-in-the-nation primary state this cycle as a result of Biden’s recommendation to the Democratic National Committee. South Carolina’s February primary will come before those in New Hampshire, Nevada and Michigan.

“South Carolina Democrats represent the backbone of the Democratic Party and propelled Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination and eventually the White House,” Tyler said.

Biden lost the state by nearly 12 points in the 2020 general election, outperforming Hillary Clinton’s 2016 mark by a few points and coming about 1 point shy of the share of South Carolina votes President Obama received during the 2008 and 2012 general elections.