first tonight a slugfest in south carolina. the 2020 democrats are getting ready for a night that will likely make, break, solidify or sustain a campaign. it is the last debate before south carolina's primary, the last debate before super tuesday and it could be their last chance to take on the front-runner in this race, bernie sanders. the vermont senator will be center stage literally tonight, and he will likely face the kind of pile on like the one michael bloomberg experienced in las vegas. sanders is the delegate leader. he has growing momentum and he's closing in fast on joe biden in south carolina. will joe biden's promised fire wall in the palmetto state hold? what can the other 2020 democrats do, if anything, to stop bernie sanders? let's go right to our road warriors on the ground in charleston, south carolina. shaquille brewster following the sander campaign, mike memoli covering the biden campaign and vaughn hillyard is on the buttigieg beat. shaq, bernie sanders again expecting the kind of incoming that michael blo

biden has said that south carolina is must win for him. and then there is all of this talk about a multicandidate field and what it does after super tuesday. setting aside bank accounts, and resources available, do you think in the perspective of your goal is to beat donald trump, do you think folks need to start dropping out and quote/unquote uniting the party? >> well, i think what we're going to find is that south carolina helps us narrow the field. reality is let's be clear. there are three or four people that have a path to this nomination. and my hope is that the field will winnow not because i'm in favor of one candidate or the other, but because we need to crystallize the focus on who can take on donald trump. i think michael bloomberg's late entry into the race, the fact he spent the amount of money he has, has only complicated matters because it just means that it is even harder for candidates to hit that 15% threshold, which is important in order to get a delegate. so my hope is that going into super tuesday, we really will only

this is our last event in south carolina. statee been all over this and small towns and small cities. we are so appreciative of the hospitality and the support we've been getting, so thank you, south carolina. [cheers and applause] and i'm very proud to have some outstanding members of the legislature here right now. i want to thank representative wendall gilliard. representative justin. representative terry alexander. and a number of other members of the legislature who are not here. let me also thank black-a-lack for their band, for their music. let me thank representative thigpin for all the work he does. thank travis washington for his remarks. thank my old friend, gus newport, former mayor of berkeley, california. and thank somebody who has become an increasingly close friend, a wonderful actor, a great american, danny glover. and let me thank one of the rising young political stars in this country and that is mayor chokwe lumumba of mississippi. and let me thank one of the greatest rap stars, killer mike. and let me tha

to win in south carolina for a long time. there was some question if he didn't do well in the first three contest whether his lead would evaporate. it doesn't look like it has. we'll wait and see for sure on saturday night but the question is whether it will take him anywhere after that, to give him the bounce he needs to catch bernie sanders' level of momentum. we are going into super tuesday, bernie sanders is expected to do very well in california. which has, you know, the lion's share of the delegate on that day, but there are other big states voting that day. if biden does well in south carolina, he may do well in north carolina or texas perhaps but then you have the california result for sanders. then you're moving into a very unknown sort of realm for biden where he doesn't have a lot of money. he doesn't have a big organization. both of which sanders does have. so competing that way sanders is still ahead. >> the other interesting thing on sanders you have folks saying he's going to be a disaster as the general electi

we're going to win in south carolina. and then super tuesday and we are on our way. >> joining me simone sanders senior adviser of biden for president. simon, good to see you, congratulations on the showing last night in nevada. although it reminds me a little bit of bill clinton as the comeback kid because it was a very distant second from bernie sanders. how are you feeling about it? >> well, look, we feel, first, thi thanks for having me. we feel good about last night. i would like to remind folks in the spirit of president clinton, he lost one but 11 contests and he went on to be not just the democratic nominee but the president of the united states of america. we feel good. we're here in south carolina today, as you can see. and vice president biden will be out and about campaigning today and campaigning hard throughout the week. meeting voters where they are because the reality is, ali, this race is just getting started. >> all right, what do you look at when you look at the entrance polls from yesterday. the idea t

this is south carolina. tomorrow -- actually tonight you're including bernie sanders, a lot of the candidates looking ahead to what happens on tuesday, super tuesday. this is the money day. over a third of the delegates are going to be counted on march 3rd and that is a tremendous haul. that is why bernie sanders and others, even though they're hoping to do well in south carolina, they're looking at the numbers there. >> 14 states including california and texas, lots of delegates on super tuesday. david, you're taking a look at the exit poll numbers. we're getting more information. >> that's right, wolf. the racial breakdown is going to be a huge component of the story tonight in south carolina. 56% of the electorate today according to our exit poll in south carolina is black. that is unlike any other state we've seen to date. 40% white, 2% hispanic. that black vote is going to be all important tonight and it's going to be a hugely important factor looking at it, projecting forward in these contests. it's hu

john: to south carolina. what does a jim clyburn endorsement mean before the february 29 south carolina primary? lisa: this was really interesting and i am glad you asked him about this because we know joe biden is a close friend of mr. clyburn. he has not endorsed anyone but there has been a lot of reporting about the various connections he has. sarah: one of my colleagues said he showed up at a fundraiser in south carolina where biden was holding an event. i think we are seeing some signs, but if you were to make an endorsement, this would show he believes his candidate is weak heading into the primary and he would need this additional boost. tapping talked about his network and he needed to inform his network about his thoughts. sarah: but he also signaled there will be risks. he does not want to risk the status of the first in the nation primary by having the most influential democrat from south carolina putting their thumb on the scale. especially given the drama in iowa. i think there's a lot of uncerta

the south carolina republican party some elements in the south carolina republican party have always manipulated their primary by doing stuff like that. you may note that the south carolina republican primary built it on the confederate battle flag. these kinds of things are not new to south carolina republicans. the south carolina republican primary put out all kinds of misinformation about john mccain, accusing him of things that led to his defeat in the south carolina primary. that are some elements would do these kinds of things. there are a lot of good decent republicans in south carolina as there are in the country, but there is an element in that body. >> should south carolina consider going to a closed primary? >> i would not advocate that. i would say if you want to be an independent you should have the opportunity to choose which one you want to caucus with. independence go back and forth and through every election season they have the ability. you just can't participate in more than one in any one election. >> congressman tell us about this field in south carolina, after w

>> south carolina is a really important state. no question. >> i think what a lot of people -- when i hear people talk about you, first of all, they see your ads. they like the fact that you're talking very openly about issues that face black voters. but they also say to themselves, boy, wouldn't that money have been better spent in a lot of ways? trying to help one of the other nominees, who is more viable at least in the polls. or trying to put that money into senate races? what do you say to people who say that? >> i say i am also doing that, joy. as you know, i've started one of the biggest grassroots organizations in the united states, next gen america. next-gen did the biggest youth voter mobilization in american history in 2018. and it's proceeding along without me running it but with me supporting it right now. so for everybody who says you should be doing grassroots voter mobilization it's like, well, actually, i'm the person who's doing the most grassroots voter mobilization in america. and people say you should be knock

, south carolina. good morning. caller: good morning. host: have you voted yet in today's primary? caller: i'm on my that way to go vote. host: who will you vote for today? caller: i'm voting for bernie sanders. host: i don't know if you just heard the previous republican caller who says republicans are also pushing their voters to vote first bernie sanders -- vote for bernie sanders. is that something that concerns you? caller: no, it don't. i'm tired of the republicans talking about burning is the socialist. do they understand what socialist means? bernie is for the people. that's what i like about him. host: linda, you are in the midlands, in columbia, the capital of south carolina. what kind of support are you seeing for bernie sanders in the midlands and columbia? getting a lot of support, and a lot of the black support. host: in the last presidential democratic primary, bernie sanders was not able to overtake hillary clinton, some say behind the power of the african-american vote. what has senato

carolina, making a big bet in south carolina. how does that pan out? he's spent a lot of money in previous contests and hasn't done that well. this is where the money could go the furthest. i've talked to voters, particularly black men, who are saying they're voting or voted for tom steyer. we could see a different element of the race today but it's not all in clear he's going to have a really big showing. >> real quick to you, jamie, i want to make sure i read this correctly. i feel like i saw that you had said there are people in south carolina who didn't realize bloomberg is not on the ballot there. if that is the case, and if he were, what do you think south carolina means to him, if anything at all? >> you know, it's been very interesting. particularly when you go to places like rock hill which is the suburb of charlotte, up in the north part of south carolina. or you go out to north augusta, on the border of georgia. or down in beaufort county in jasper, georgia. those immediate areas overlap in georgia where bloomberg is r

south carolina vote for joe biden? >> well, let me -- let me just speak right to the people. everything in this ballot. when it comes to healthcare, when it comes to guns, when it comes to housing. vice president has put forth a bold vision. but the reality is he's done this before, chris. there is only one person standing on that debate stage font that has taken on the nra twice and won. joe biden. and he will do it a third time as president. there is only one person -- >> symone, i hope he has some of your juice tonight. give him some of this. give him some of this. >> when we talk about healthcare, joe biden has done it chris. so, really, we're ready for this fight and i think voters are ready. >> thank you so much. symone sanders has got the fire. thank you. the results of south carolina this weekend will set the trajectory for super tuesday. coming a week from now when the voters of 14 states, a week from now, all get to vote. "the new york times" points out that should mr. sanders defeat or even finish near mr. b

continues to believe that south carolina will be an interesting place for him. south carolina. it is interesting how the calendar goes. south carolina in a week. different things may happen. the chart may look different. then we have super tuesday. everything can change there too. >> it is important to note that south carolina looks different from nevada, the super tuesday states are extremely diverse slate of states overall. they do look more like nevada. it could look more of something like i have seen here. we need to step back and say it is an enormous credit they have built this coalition here and all over the country. look at the amount of emphasis he has put here and in california and in texas. going back to when he started to run for president the first time, it was only winning over younger white educated voters. >> he couldn't penetrate that. >> but he made it a specific point about talking about issues that matter to communities of color and devoting specific resources. all over the country. he told the crowd that his team had knocked on its millionth door. having th

victor in south carolina. over, we go, to the big board. steve kornacki. and, steve, i note the map is filling in. >> we have results. you know, these caucus states, these took days to get. we are starting to get some real numbers in south carolina. not a lot but you see initially, biden 53%. sanders, very distant second. followed by tom steyer. i can tell you that the vast majority that you are seeing right now, these are absentee votes. we saw in 2016 that the absentee vote, sanders did substantially worse among absentee voters. so if that pattern holds, you might see sanders moving up a bit here. you might see biden falling off a bit. again, i'm not talking about something that is going to change this election or even call it into question. but if it's 39 now, that spread between biden and sanders may get narrower as you start to get to same day. but overwhelming here. biden blue color, get used to it. our exit poll showing, not surprisingly based on what we showed you, biden supporters running particularly

like south carolina. what exactly does that feel like, you ask? in politics, it can feel like yikes. it was really the first debate where senator bernie sanders, now the front-runner, was the center of action. his opponents flat-out said that he wouldn't be able to beat donald trump in november, but they went even further saying the democrats across the board would lose with sanders as nominee. they question his praise of the castro regime of cuba and other policies that were branded as socialist or radical. this morning, you're hearing complaints from campaigns about the moderators and the crowd or the questions. you know what, it's not supposed to be easy. it's supposed to be south carolina. >> but you supposed to be able to hear them talk? i mean, there were a few different complaints. >> i heard that they were talking. i could tell -- >> we did know. this is the last debate been super tuesday next week. former vice president joe biden is hoping for a win in south carolina this weekend to resurrect his

south carolina gets to reset this. south carolina gets to decide that maybe what we want is a democrat at the head of the ticket for a democratic party, strange as that may seem. i believe i can do that. i believe south carolina can show that i can pull a diverse party together. i'm asking you to help me do that on saturday. and i believe if we do that and do grassroots that we will not beat the republicans but we will sweep away the republicans which is exactly what we need to do. i know it's friday morning. i said i would take questions. put your hand up and bring you over a microphone and answer your question. mr. steyer: i think everybody is disturbed -- let's put it this way. the democrats are disturbed about the partisanship in this country. i never heard anyone asked mitch mcconnell what are you going to do to get along with democrats. i have been asked a dozen times, what are you going to do to get along with mitch mcconnell. we are going to treat white nationalism as domestic terrorism. it is domestic terroris

nevada and south carolina, the first two diverse states. they more reflect the democratic electorate and the american people. and so i've spent a lot of time on the ground here. i think more than anybody else. i've spent a lot of time on the ground in south carolina more than anybody else really going out seeing people face to face, talking to them, holding town halls, really listening and understanding what's going on on the ground. >> you've enlisted in a lot of time and money in nevada. you're not going to be on the debate stage tomorrow night. mike bloomberg will be. do you respect those rules, the rules they have -- [ cheers and applause ] >> they loved your question, erin. i am in second or third place in nevada and i am in second or third place in south carolina. there have been no polls counted towards those states because it's supposed to be either national polls or state polls. so, the people in the debate can reflect. the democratic national committee basically disenfranchised the voters of nevada and k is south carolina o would

we can win here in south carolina. i know it and feel it on the ground. >> lindsey graham has embraced president trump completely. a lot of people in washington have been surprised by, that especially considering his friendship with the late senator john mccain. what impact do you think that's had here on the fwround? >> this is the thing. i don't think people begrudged lindsey graham for having a friendship with the president. but the problem that folks have, what i have heard on the ground here, what has happened to lindsey graham. this is a guy that folks thought had a moral compass. would make the decisions because of what was in the best interest of the state and nation. what we have seen is a hypocrisy. even though he says something yesterday, he will say the total opposite thing today. and that's something that pop don't like. they want to make sure that you have a character that you stand for something. and right now lindsey graham stands for nothing other than what's beneficial for lindsey graham. >> let's tal

it's a leap to ask voters in south carolina to back him. we'll see. >> and you have familiar faces like biden and sanders and then every time you look at the tv seeing a bloomberg ad. we'll come back to the story and this programming note and continue our series of town halls from south carolina, michael bloomberg, joe biden, amy klobuchar and elizabeth warren. get some popcorn, that's worth watching. >>> the president says his administration is on top of the coronavirus but his own words have undermined the efforts of the public health professionals. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ hello, i saw you move in, and i wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood with some homemade biscuits! >>oh, that's so nice! and a little tip, geico could help you save on homeowners insurance. >>hmm! >>cookies! uhh, biscuits. >>mmmm, is there a little nutmeg in there? oh it's my mum's secret recipe. >>you can tell me. it's a secret. >>is it cinnamon?

the answer to that south carolina and south carolina and south carolina. he's got a lot at stake. we'll discuss with him coming up. >>> global markets are plumm plummeting as the coronavirus spreads to more countries around the world. next 37 i am totally blind. and non-24 can make me show up too early... or too late. or make me feel like i'm not really "there." talk to your doctor, and call 844-234-2424. 100% online car buying. carvana's had a lot of firsts. car vending machines. and now, putting you in control of your financing. at carvana, get personalized terms, browse for cars that fit your budget, then customize your down payment and monthly payment. and these aren't made-up numbers. it's what you'll really pay, right down to the penny. whether you're shopping or just looking. it only takes a few seconds, and it won't affect your credit score. finally! a totally different way to finance your ride. only from carvana. the new way to buy a car. . >>> developing overnight, the first confirmed cases of coronavirus in new zealand and nigeria. that's african's most populist nation.

but you have to get through south carolina. what is the number that you're looking at that joe biden needs to win by, because it's no longer a matter of win or lose. it seems for him and the stakes he's put on this. what are you looking at the margins for him in south carolina? >> i really think that the gap between him and the second place person needs to be in the double digits. that's the only way to run away from this primary, first in the south and actually be able to claim a solid victory that will take him into super tuesday. but when i was talking to voters especially the black voters they're reminding us they're not a monolith. they're talking about joe biden but they're also talking about bernie sanders. elizabeth warren. we saw that the route today went to the agendas for black america. for all of the candidates. tulsi gabbard came in eighth. bernie sanders was number four. and joe biden was just behind elizabeth warren. it will be interesting to see how some of the things play out and i think it really will have to

charleston, south carolina, next. at today's best western, stay two nights and get a free night for your next stay. one night, two nights, free night. book now at bestwestern.com. free night. charmin ultra soft! it's softer than ever. charmin ultra soft is softer than ever, so it's harder to resist. okay, this is getting a little weird! enjoy the go with charmin. >>> we're back live here in charleston, south carolina. today candidates making crucial decisions about how to spend their valuable time here in south carolina or perhaps in a super tuesday state or perhaps both. pete buttigieg will meet with voters this afternoon in greenville. he'll be in the up state, about 200 miles up i-26 from where we are. this morning the mayor of sound bet bend, indiana spent time in washington. vaughn, as i understand it, mayor pete member with members of the congressional black caucus, members of the congressional hispanic caucus as well this morning. what do we know about what happened in those meetings? >> reporter: mayor beng do

he said this about his chances here in south carolina. >> so, finally, south carolina. >> finally. >> this is what you've been waiting for. >> yes. >> reporter: is this state still your firewall, sir? >> i think it's the state i'm going to do well in. i think, you know, it has 60% of the vote is the african-american vote. they have an opportunity to basically choose who the nominee is, depending what they do. if they do it strongly, i think it's a real -- look, the issues are the issues that are of great concern. health care that's actually available. this governor, the previous governor did not extend medicaid under my proposal, anybody who qualifies for medicaid be automatically enrolled. we're able to pass it and get it done quickly. >> reporter: you told worshippers here that they can own this election. do you think some candidates are trying to buy this election? >> that's not what i meant. what i meant was that they, by the african-american vote coming out of this state today, they can put a stamp on the democratic party that says look, we're entitled to a big piece of the reaso

first of all i have won races in south carolina. and i have lost in south carolina. trust me, if i could have beat mcmaster by 50% and one vote. i would be in the lieutenant governors house. winning is winning. i don't want to go down that path. with joe biden with all due respect to my good friend. joe biden is going -- all due respect to my friend. >> this is terrible. >> joe biden will win south carolina. this is not a question. with all due respect to everyone watching and waiting, the polls we're not really buying those. joe biden is going to win south carolina. the question is, how much is he going to win south carolina by? to your question, i think that a win for joe biden a five points is good. i think he'll eclipse that. in the ten to 15 point range. which will catapult him. i'm a kamala harris supporter and fan. i'm not in the joe biden camp. i know south carolina well. my daddy called me today and said what are they doing for joe biden today? he's taking people to the polls tomorrow for joe biden. that's just the way it is because of the familiarity with w

south carolina used to be a caucus state. i got rid of the caucus because i know how caucuses are manipulated. i have been in the caucuses and i know how they are manipulated. we ought not to have caucuses. with -- john: would south carolina be a good place to launch the primary season? yes.clyburn: i was arguing for south carolina to be among the first. the the way it is now, primary season starts on super tuesday. this is the pre-primary window. to caucuses, two primaries in the pre-primary window. we ought to get rid of the pre-primary window, just have a primary season and select that wely and rotate so do not always have one state dictating the outcome or what -- of what momentum may be built. week aboutts this republican groups organizing to use the open primary process in south carolina to skew the results of the democratic primary coming up on february 20 9 -- what do you make of that? 29 -- what do you -- what do youca make of that? clyburn: south carolina's republican party built their primary on the confederate bat

south carolina. voters will head to the polls son satday, just days before super tuesday. for former vice president joe biden, it's a critica momen after struggling in the first round of contests, he is leading the polls there.is anoping to jumstart his campaign. but senator bernie sanders after a decisive win in the gaining ground in state. and joining us now from south carolina, is jeff zeleny, senior washington correspondent for cnn. and p asma khalid,itical correspondent for national public radio. jeff spoke to mr. biden on the trail this week. >> is this state still your firewall, iir? >>hink it's a state i'm going to do well i it has 60% of this vote is african-american vote. they have an opportunity to basically choose who t nominee is. robert: jeff, take us a littl bit insi the african-american vote in south carolina. is there a generational dividju hours before that vote? >> bob, there's no question that there is. and it's been clear being here l all week,king to so many voters, that there i

carolina and he will win south carolina handily. this is a candidate that doesn't just show up on election day or the week before election day. this is a man who has come to south carolina for decades and has shown his support for the voters in the democratic party in south carolina. he's hosted fund-raisers for county democratic parties in years that his support in those counties was irrelevant. he was come to south carolina and endorsed candidates on the legislative level to the congressional level when his support to those people was irrelevant, he wasn't running for anything, he wasn't vice president at the time. that's what voters here in south carolina remember. to quote jim clyburn from earlier this morning, we know joe and joe knows us. that's what matters here. this is someone who has a decades-long relationship with the voters in south carolina. that's why i think you'll see a very, very successful win for him here on saturday. >> so to amanda's point, the vice president, he has had a successful record with african-america

you had nevada and south carolina. when you focus on this, have a heart to heart to yourself, how well does she need to do in south carolina? >> erin, she's on the board and we're building an organization that is built to last and there are many people still undecided. as one of three national co-chairs, this is my eighth state i've been in. probably my third time i've been in south carolina. i'm encouraged by the growth of the campaign. post nevada especially. even in the nevada caucuses we saw a growth by 30 to 50% post contrasting early vote to what actually happened in the caucuses. we raised $14 million in one week so elizabeth warren isn't going anywhere. i'm fighting to make sure she doesn't because i care about her visions and her plans for this country and her racial justice and her track record. she is effective and electable. i am serving in the most equal congress. >> thank you very much. next on the special edition of "out front" live for south carolina, could this be the last debate for any of the candida

>>> and we've had such a great time here in columbia, south carolina. all eyes on south carolina. here we are on the eve of the primary. i want to thank everyone here, tell everyone at home, we'll be live back home, anchoring live coverage 4:00 p.m. eastern through 11:00 p.m., tomorrow part of the msnbc special coverage of the south carolina primary. i want to thank everyone here in south carolina, keep it locked here on msnbc. let's see. we did all right. "hardball" is up next. >>> who's watching out for us? let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in charleston, south carolina. there's increasing concern over the scope and impact of the coronavirus tonight. i'm starting the show talking with dr. anthony fauci, leading professional in the u.s. government dealing with the threat of the virus. the u.s. stock

. >> i think i have a real firewall in south carolina. >> reporter: but now? biden's career facing a make or break test in the the place where the bonds are deeper than politics. south carolina has been a biden destination for years, especially in 2015 as a family in mourning. >> when we lost our son beau, we came to south carolina to to the low country to find a sense of peace. you helped us heal. >> reporter: one week before he kicked off his third presidential campaign, biden recalled how one of the state's icons helped launch a 29-year-old on his first run for senate. >> i thought if this powerful senator thought i could be a senator, maybe i really can do this. maybe i really have a shot. >> reporter: in washington biden also formed a bond with south carolina's other senator, a former dixie democrat turned republican, offering the jewel you'll ji in 2003. >> strom and i shared a life in the senate for 30 years. i tried to understand him. i learned from him. and i watched him change oh so suddenly. >> reporter: biden's relationships pose d an early test fo

south carolina congressman james clyburn joins us live to talk about the south carolina primary. that's next. stick! (crowd noise) (bell rings) when heartburn hits. fight back fast.. with tums chewy bites. beat heartburn fast. tums chewy bites. (whistling) you're stronger than you know. so strong. you power through chronic migraine, 15 or more headache or migraine days a month. one tough mother. you're bad enough for botox®. botox® has been preventing headaches and migraines before they even start for almost 10 years, and is the #1 prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. botox® is for adults with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell you

of south carolina. we welcome all of you to democracy now! responded to last night's debate. cook's first of all, i would like to say hello to my two friends dr. reed and gilda cobb-hunter. two people i respect. adolph was on my dissertation committee, so i have something in common with everybody on your show today. but watching the debate last night, it wasn't the confederates firing on fort sumter, but it was fiery. i think senator sanders showed himself well. i think looking at the rates of south carolina -- race with south carolina thing is going to line up with south carolina doing well. i think tom steyer is going to do well because he has done outreach in the black community and campaign the old-fashioned way in the way i see the vote breaking down, older voters -- boulder democratic party establishment voters are going to vote with biden. younger voters are going to vote with sanders because of the institutional change in structural change he represents given college education cost and the cost

judy:p you, of course, bring south carolina. african-american voters could be as much as 60 percent of the primary there. right now you are pulling very low, 2%, 3%, 4%. that is a big leap for you, isn't it? y >> well, that's exacat we need to do. what i've heard from a lot of black voters is that our plans are appreciated. the frederick douglass plahe most comprehensive plan offered by a presidential candidate to tackle systemic racism. but before anybody cares what's in your pns, they want to know if you're a serious contender. and i think up until we had the results we did here in iowa and new hampshire, it was difficul fous to prove it. w, the process of proving it is underway. and for voters who are laser focused on ensuring d that we win, wnot have the luxury of pursuing ideological purity over an inclusive coalition for victory, they are going to be, i think, very pragmatic and very demanding about demonstrating that the campaigns have a plan to defeat judy: as you know, there are as mayor of south herer record you've had

so you have south carolina. it's clear that even if biden wins it's not going to be by the same margin you saw hillary clinton win so that will cut into any sort of delicate haul he would take. super tuesday, states -- some of those states are white states like colorado has latinos there, too, a state bernie sanders did well in already. california, he didn't lose it by that much. texas has a lot of latinos there. this is really hard. you have these town halls coming up. you have these debates coming up. but this is a train that is fast moving, that has been on this track before, right, sanders has won many states before and put together a grassroots organization so that's hard to stop. >> there's a lot of questions among moderate democrats about the electability of senator sanders. those questions get answered, though, the more he wins. if he does well, incredibly well in south carolina, it's hard to imagine somebody else overtaking him. >> it is and i like to remind people at the end of the day the democrats, t

talk about south carolina. i want to throw up an entrance poll graphic of african-american voters in nevada, and just because african-american voters vote one way in nevada doesn't mean they won't vote another way. biden at 39%, warren at 10%. it felt like a reasonable south carolina poll going in with a week to go. is that how you would see the spread right now in south carolina? >> i don't know if i have spent enough time trying to figure out exactly who has how much. but all these candidates will get some african-american votes. no question about that. i do believe, however, that if we were having the election tomorrow, that joe biden would have more of the vote. how much more, i don't know yet. i think the debate on tuesday night will have an impact. and i think that some activity after that might have an impact as well. >> are you concerned -- look, joe biden believes you're going to endorse him. a lot of people believe you want to endorse joe biden. you have said you know who you're going to vote for at t

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in south carolina, in denmark, south carolina. people were drinking water that was making them sick, ruining their kidneys, and killing them. the state wouldn't give them a water treatment facility. if you go to the denmark, south carolinas, and meet the people there and get them in leadership, if you go to spartanburg, south carolina, there's incredible environmental justice leadership there. if you start in those communities with those leaders, you get the right climate plan, too. you get everything in one package with justice, racial justice, and the front. >> tom, i saw some video today. i'm going to play it right now. i can't say that i know what this is about. but it looked like you on a stage dropping it like it's hot. what -- what's -- you can't hear it. but you're dancing on a stage. what's going on here? >> we were having a rally, and i was having a good time. ali, i know that seems strange in american politics that someone could relax and have a good time, but that's all that you're seeing. actually, it was fun. >> good

south carolina primary. particularly crucial, you might say, for joe biden. >> joining us is johnny cordero who has endorsed tom steyer. >> thank you for having me. >> what do you make of the fact that jim clyburn chose the biden camp over steyer's camp? >> other than the fact that it's probably predictable that that was going to be the endorsement, i think the important thing about that to remember is that the endorsement is going to go to assisting those who have already made up their minds basically in south carolina. but the one thing it's not going to do is it's not going to help with those people who are the ones that we really need in order to win in south carolina and those are the people who have not voted but who are registered. >> we had errol lewis on just after the clyburn endorsement. he said clyburn was in effect trying to speak beyond the older generation and speak to younger african-american voters who might have a different view, might want to go a different, more progressive way in this ra

now it's on to south carolina. where the candidates will debate again tomorrow night ahead of saturday's primary, and there is an impending big endorsement expected wednesday for joe biden. joining us from charleston, south carolina, msnbc correspondent vaughn hillyard. vaughn, what's happening? >> reporter: jim clybourne is expected to endorse former vice president joe biden here in south carolina today. we're five days away from this primary and reverend al mentioned. when you looked for years ago here in the state, hillary clinton pulled in about 84% of african-american support over bernie sanders. a big change over the course of these couple of years. this is where you find yourself with pete buttigieg. he said in his speech after results starting coming in, it's time for country to take a sobering look where the race is heading. s s s at the same time, you saw where he came in, in the race. he was on saturday morning, i talked to pete buttigieg. he told me we could wake up march 4th the day after super tuesday

pete buttigieg began his day in south carolina, columbia south carolina, rally campaign volunteers who were going to notre dame trying to get people to go out and vote on this first in the south primary in the estate. listen. >> minutes on two super tuesday which is less than 72 hours from now. reporter: this weekend, the campaign is doing of large get out to vote effort in many states including north carolina and tennessee. the real politics effort to poll shows buttigieg finishing anywhere from second to fifth place on super tuesday where polling is available. the campaign strategy is to minimize bernie sanders delegate until the primaries go clear buttigieg hopes to do well. the campaign says it's more than halfway through its goal of raising $13 million by tuesday, that's relative newcomer to the carolinas, in person meet and greet goes a long way with voters. buttigieg has been trying to make up for lost time. >> when people have the opportunity to see him and meet him, he seems to do much better than just those have seen him on television. reporter: tomorrow, buttigieg travels to

first tonight a slugfest in south carolina. the 2020 democrats are getting ready for a night that will likely make, break, solidify or sustain a campaign. it is the last debate before south carolina's primary, the last debate before super tuesday and it could be their last chance to take on the fronru

in south carolina or some other state? >> he's in some other states tomorrow, massachusetts and he will finish in vermont. >> are you assuming he's not going to do well in south carolina? >> not at all. we typically do this, after the first few states have moved on. >> laura: thoughts? >> i think he has seen some polling and it doesn't look particularly -- why waste the time here to think biden will probably get a victory, but is it going to actually be a springboard or a dead cat bounce where he wins here and then bloomberg has so much money and bernie does well, and not as much money. >> laura: it's interesting to see the generational divide in the democrat party, and it's interesting, and msnbc moment, talking about african-american voters about, who are they going to vote for versus his parents. watch. >> my parents live in south carolina. >> are they going to vote tomorrow? >> yes, they are. >> they were more biden in the beginning but they weren't really following. they just know biden and obamadm along, tuck them al

this one in south carolina is going to be key. i think we have to remember, since 1992, no one has won the nomination without winning a majority of african-american votes. vice president biden has the values, integrity, and the experience to go in from day one. we don't need someone that has a learning curve, that will need a learning curve, and will get our country straight. from an international standpoint, there's old saying, it's not who you know, it's who knows you. leaders from around the world know vice president joe biden. we have to get this country back internally and internationally. >> are you disappointed that joe biden's former boss, the first african-american president, barack obama, has yet to come out and endorse anyone, let alone him? >> that's protocol with regards to who is president of the united states. so i don't feel any way negatively about that. i think the key thing with whomever is president, their job is going to be to unify the party after everything is over. but their record, their relationship is we

as we know in 2016 he got 14% of the vote in south carolina. does he do better, does he stay the same? that's going to matter. one last thing i want to say, jim clyburn's endorsement, i lived in south carolina in 2007 for the presidential there, that's a huge, huge shot in the arm for joe biden. he has an operation and he and his people are loyal to him, those activists will turn out. >> it was passionate. thank you very much. that does it for us this morning. stephanie ruhle picks up coverage right now. >> thanks so much, mika, thanks, joe. hi there, i am stephanie ruhle. we begin with breaking news on wall street where it seems like there's no end to the gut wrenching collapse in the markets. as we look ahead to opening bell, stock futures are plunging again. remember, we were at record highs just 16 days ago. but as the spread of the coronavirus picked up speed, investors started selling and haven't stopped. the dow, nasdaq, the s&p fell more than 10% in record time. it is just as bad overseas. global markets lost 5 trillion bucks so far and

carolina at the moment he has historically enjoyed wide support among black voters in south carolina but he had a commanding lead a few months ago that slowly getting eaten away by bernie sanders who's been snatching up young black millennial and also tom steyer who's been spending a small fortune here in south carolina that's. the way the former vice president joe biden's lead but he still is in front but all the pundits here all the analysts say the joe biden simply not it cannot just win south carolina he has to win south carolina big because saturday is the primary the following tuesday is super tuesday in which 14 states and one outlying territory all get to vote that makes up about 38 percent of all the delegates so for joe biden it is important saturday is vital that he wins his campaign he's he's running out of money if you look at what the other campaigns have but his performance was solid whether that translates to what happens in the polls on saturday during south carolina's primary we will have to wait and see but for joe biden the former vice president this will be a vit

south carolina has an almost perfect record. the state has voted for the eventually nominee from the democratic side all by one since 19 sflou. the exception was john edwards in 2004, although he was not the nominee he was on the ticket that would be vice president to john kerry. we know how that ended. joining me now former chairman of the south carolina republican party, katon dasan, and the co-founder cliff albright. cliff, i want to start with you. what you are you expecting to see tomorrow in the primary? >> we're expecting to see big turnout. we've got three groups going around the state, three groups of folks we've talked to. one group is really looking for somebody out of fear they think other voters will be comfortable with. they tend to lean towards the more moderate, leading with joe biden. then you've got the group looking for somebody speaking to their interests. the issues this they deal with every day. they tend to lean towards the more grprogressive candidates. bernie, steyer, elizabeth warren. then the group, gi

south carolina. we're just now settling into -- we heard it time and time again, states that have a diverse population, and that's going to be key going-forward. one thing about the democratic party and going into the november elections. it's not about the popular count, it's about the electoral college, pennsylvania, ohio, wisconsin, florida, a person has the window states. those are the states that vice president biden will do well in, in the general election. and i think most people understand that. especially in the black community. >> if he does not win those states you just listed, should he drop out of the race? >> no, i believe he will win. i believe he will win. i believe he'll do extremely well, and it will start here in south carolina this saturday. >> we'll see if he gets that comeback that he's been taughting. david mack, thank you for joining us. appreciate your time. >> thank you. >>> more on this south carolina primary that could make or break the presidential hopes for several of the