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It's Game On for the Black Vote in South Carolina

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The race for president has now become about race as South Carolina Democrats head to the polls Saturday.

African-Americans are a key voting bloc in the state. Will they "feel the Bern" or will they rally around Hillary Clinton?

The people we spoke with were torn between the two candidates.

One voter said, "I was learning toward Hillary, but I started feeling Bernie (Sanders)."

Another backed Clinton, saying, "Ms. Hillary Clinton definitively has a track record. It's proven."

And so the battle goes for the black vote in the Palmetto State.

Going to Church

The most important place to stump?

African-American churches opened their doors to President Bill Clinton back in the 1990s and now they're welcoming his wife, Hillary Clinton.

Recently, she spoke at Cumberland United Methodist Church in Florence, saying we have "a minimum wage that is a poverty wage… and we finally have the foundation to give quality health care to everyone." She drew loud cheers when she touted that as one of President Obama's greatest achievements.

Clinton was the only presidential candidate at the memorial service for Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney following last year's tragic shooting at Emanuel AME Church.

Bernie Sanders is also hitting the platform with a surprise visit to Columbia's Brookland Baptist last Sunday to talk about the criminal justice system and education.

"This is America. We should not be having more people in jail, largely African-American and Latino, than any other country on earth," said Sanders. "So one of the points that I have tried to make is we are going to invest in education and jobs for people, not more jails not more incarceration."

And while loyal alliances have helped Clinton build a comfortable lead - Sanders has made inroads with millennials. He kicked of his "Feel the Bern" HBCU tour and visited South Carolina State University and Benedict College.

Star Power

Both candidates have influential names behind them.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the highest ranking African-American in Congress, threw his support behind Clinton.

"A few people speculated that my head was with one candidate and my heart was with another.  That was not the case at all. My heart has always been with Hillary Clinton," Clyburn said.

He joins the Congressional Black Caucus and about 30 influential black pastors.

Meanwhile, in Sanders corner are Princeton University professor Cornell West, civil right activist Harry Belafonte and director Spike Lee.

Despite going to all the "right" places and saying all the "right" things, some wonder if the candidates are taking black voters for granted.

Analyst Juan Williams recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "The rush of endorsements from the black elite has inevitably led to charges that the candidates are pandering to black Americans.

The outcome of the Democratic primary here in South Carolina could hinge on black voters. African-Americans make up a large swath of the electorate here which is why Clinton and Sanders are working overtime to secure votes.

In 2008, this voting block provided President Obama momentum to win the Democratic nomination.

Now, eight years later, many feel his policies haven't necessarily benefited African Americans.

Williams says, "Mr. Obama has appeared fearful of focusing policies on helping black Americans out of concern that his critics might reduce him to 'the black president' instead of the president of all Americans. Despite this intentional negligence, Mr. Obama retains a 90 percent approval rating among black Americans, almost solely because he is the iconic first black president.

The GOP Has a Problem

But color doesn't necessarily lead to votes. Republican candidate Ben Carson receives little support from African-Americans. 

"I think maybe blacks are more catered to Democrats regardless of a candidate's race."

It's a problem the Republican Party knows it needs to fix.

"Perceptions matter, and quite frankly the Republican Party hasn't been present in black communities across the country for far too long," Orlando Watson, RNC communications director for Black Media, said.

"We still have our challenges without any question, but we're getting it right a lot more than we're given credit for," Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said.

Betty Gregory is a prime example. She used to be a Republican, but not anymore.
 
"What I did was I listened to the issues. I listened to people talk about the issues. I watched the people, how they live," Gregory told CBN News. "I want to vote for not only the individual behind the issue, but I want to see how they're living and I know that a person, for me anyway, that believes in God cannot go too far wrong."

Black Republicans aren't giving up. Chris Wright says some of his best friends are Democrats.

"I surround myself with everybody," Wright said.

So how does he approach them?

"You've got to be loving. They don't see eye-to-eye with you, but the facts do prove themselves in the end," he said.

And in the end, both sides of the political aisle will need to prove themselves to black voters nationwide as the race moves to other states with diverse populations.

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About The Author

Robin
Mazyck

Robin Mazyck serves as Bureau Chief for CBN News' Washington, D.C., bureau. She has interviewed a number of prominent politicians and national figures for the network. She grew up a military brat and is from South Carolina and loves the Low Country. Robin graduated with English and Communications degrees from Newberry College and a master’s in journalism from Michigan State University. Robin is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She is a married and has a son.