Michigan, Virginia Primaries Could Eclipse South Carolina as Black Voter Share Falls by Half
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 24
Michigan, Virginia Primaries Could Eclipse South Carolina as Black Voter Share Falls by Half
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 24
Summary
Michigan and Virginia, set at the end of Democrats’ early nominating window, could become the decisive primaries that South Carolina once was.
Their size and timing favor candidates who can self-fund or raise heavily, because weaker rivals may survive South Carolina but struggle to finance the rapid run into Super Tuesday.
A candidate who wins both states would gain a powerful electability argument, since Michigan and Virginia together mirror the nation’s city-suburb-small town mix more closely than a single early state.
That shift would also dilute the influence Democrats sought to elevate: Black representation in Michigan and Virginia primaries would be only about half of South Carolina’s.