On January 8, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina, at an Emanuel AME Church during President Joe Biden’s campaign, South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain laughs.
By Grace Panetta and Candice Norwood
First released by The 19th
As he runs for a second term, President Joe Biden doesn’t anticipate any significant competition for the Democratic nomination. However, the Democratic presidential primary, will get off this Saturday in South Carolina, will provide the first accurate look at his standing among Black voters, who comprise a significant portion of his support base.
Biden’s 2020 presidential candidature received a boost from prominent Congressman Jim Clyburn as well as backing from Black South Carolina voters. In order to better represent the variety of the Democratic electorate, Biden and the DNC altered the Democratic primary schedule for the upcoming cycle, placing South Carolina first, followed by Nevada on Tuesday and Michigan on February 27.
Democraticsurveys indicate that Biden’s position with Black voters is concerning, and for the first time, Black women are leading all three of these Democratic state parties. Raising funds and acting as the public face of the Democratic Party, Christale Spain of South Carolina, Daniele Monroe-Moreno of Nevada, and Lavora Barnes of Michigan are the first Black women to hold the position of party chair in their respective states.
Spain, the South Carolina Democratic Party chair, stated, “Black women have really been showing up for Democratic candidates even before I got involved in the party.” “As a collective, we not only volunteer but also cast our votes.”
All three stated in interviews with The 19th that their main concerns were driving local voter involvement and year-round organising, as well as promoting Biden’s successes and uniting the party in favour of the president and other Democratic candidates.
Speaker pro tempore of the Nevada Assembly and head of the Nevada Democratic Party Monroe-Moreno remarked, “I’m a mom and a grandma, and I take my state party position as being like the mom of the Democratic Party for the state.”
“The goal is to bring this party together and support the incumbents in order to ensure their reelection.” In addition, it involves recruiting, guiding, and preparing upcoming Democratic candidates to succeed us in those seats. “I want to be the last, but I’m the first,” she said.
Democrats have long referred to Black women as the “backbone” of the party, a term that honours their many years of service to the party as well as their leadership in the community in the areas of voting registration, civic education, and the pursuit of fair laws.
Spain, who in April became the first Black woman to head the South Carolina Democratic Party, stated that having Black women in leadership roles is “extremely important” for them since they have long been “showing up” as organisers and voters.
“Making our voices heard is crucial, as if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” stated Spain. Thus, in my opinion, it keeps Black people off the table.
As more Black women run for public office, Black women have frequently felt left out of policymaking and political campaign support, despite the recognition of their electoral and organising accomplishments.
“Black women possess resilience.” Nadia Brown, a Georgetown University women’s and gender studies director and professor of government, told The 19th last year, “We just have the ingenuity to make things happen and to make it look easy.” The Democratic Party is aware that black women may earn $1 for every 15 cents. Therefore, the party has no need to spend when they are aware that Black women will continue to attend.
Biden seemed determined to change that dynamic as soon as he became office.
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