November 2015 Winthrop Poll of SC Democratic Presidential Primary Likely Voters

Source: Winthrop University

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Likely Democratic voters in South Carolina overwhelmingly support Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic nominee to become the 45th president, according to the latest Winthrop Poll.

Seventy-one percent of those surveyed said they were leaning toward voting for the former Secretary of State. Of the African-Americans contacted, she had even higher numbers, at 80%. The other two candidates running in the primary received significantly lower support – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, 15%, and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, 2%.

South Carolina is important in the presidential process because it is the first primary in the South and because it is the first time presidential candidates can be vetted by large numbers of African-American voters. Winthrop Poll Director Scott Huffmon noted, "African Americans constitute one of the most important constituencies for the Democratic Party. African Americans can make up over 50% of the Democratic Presidential Primary vote in South Carolina, which is a much larger portion than you'll see in the Iowa Caucus or New Hampshire primary."

Of the Clinton supporters polled, 72% said she is a solid choice. A little more than a third of all respondents said they might change their mind. Sanders comes up as a second choice by 37% of respondents, but a fourth of respondents said they are undecided.


Read more: http://www.winthrop.edu/winthroppoll/default.aspx?id=9804