Columbia -- South Carolina may be considered the culinary capital of the early presidential primary states (at the very least, it's the only one with a major political event centered around a particular food), but there is one thing voters here aren't hungry for: division in the party. That sentiment offered some refuge for former Vice President Joe Biden when he landed here over the weekend after facing a torrent of criticism from his 2020 rivals and political prognosticators for his comments about his ability to work with known segregationists, even as he opposed their views. His reception here could help inform how candidates approach the party's perceived frontrunner as they prepare for their first presidential primary debate in Miami this week. Interviews with Democratic voters here over the past several days suggest they're more willing to look past party purity tests and candidate controversies in pursuit of a greater goal: defeating President Trump. "Personally, I think we all need to grow up. We can be a bit thin-skinned about things," said Pamela Bynoe-Reed, who does not plan to hold Biden's recent comments against him. While she has not decided who she will vote for in the primary, Biden along with former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, were two of her top choices. Other African-American residents acknowledged some discomfort with Biden's remarks, but stressed they were not a top priority and wouldn't hold the remarks against him. "I accept the mainstream concept of what he saying," J. Marie Green, who is backing California Sen. Kamala Harris. "It's what was accepted at the time. In this new era, he needs to change his behavior. And behavior can be changed...I do think he has good credentials." Thaddeus Wayne Jones Jr., called Biden's remarks "insensitive," but hoped to elect a president who is above the day-to-day controversies. "What we currently have is someone who goes tit-for-tat with the soundbites, and that is just not what we need in a Commander-in-Chief," said Jones Jr. "We need someone who's going to be able to rise above the fray of that everyday back and forth and let his actions speak instead of trying to be the next sound bite." Even voters supporting other candidates were reluctant to pile on Biden, expressing a certain amount of reverence toward the former vice president that isn't as easily afforded to him in other early states. "I've worked with some of the segregationists, too," said Bernice Scott, a longtime Democratic activist and former councilwoman in Columbia. "Mr. Biden, I've met him several times, I've got some pictures with him...I think he was just trying to tell people what he had done and who he'd worked with." Scott leads a group of black women voters who call themselves "the Reckoning Crew" and have endorsed California Sen. Kamala Harris. During a monthly meeting on Thursday, one of the group's members asked what they should make of the controversy surrounding Biden. Scott said they couldn't affo
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Columbia -- South Carolina may be considered the culinary capital of the early presidential primary states (at the very least, it's the only one with a major political event centered around a particular food), but there is one thing voters here aren't hungry for: division in the party. That sentiment offered some refuge for former Vice President Joe Biden when he landed here over the weekend after facing a torrent of criticism from his 2020 rivals and political prognosticators for his comments about his ability to work with known segregationists, even as he opposed their views. His reception here could help inform how candidates approach the party's perceived frontrunner as they prepare for their first presidential primary debate in Miami this week. Interviews with Democratic voters here over the past several days suggest they're more willing to look past party purity tests and candidate controversies in pursuit of a greater goal: defeating President Trump. "Personally, I think we all need to grow up. We can be a bit thin-skinned about things," said Pamela Bynoe-Reed, who does not plan to hold Biden's recent comments against him. While she has not decided who she will vote for in the primary, Biden along with former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, were two of her top choices. Other African-American residents acknowledged some discomfort with Biden's remarks, but stressed they were not a top priority and wouldn't hold the remarks against him. "I accept the mainstream concept of what he saying," J. Marie Green, who is backing California Sen. Kamala Harris. "It's what was accepted at the time. In this new era, he needs to change his behavior. And behavior can be changed...I do think he has good credentials." Thaddeus Wayne Jones Jr., called Biden's remarks "insensitive," but hoped to elect a president who is above the day-to-day controversies. "What we currently have is someone who goes tit-for-tat with the soundbites, and that is just not what we need in a Commander-in-Chief," said Jones Jr. "We need someone who's going to be able to rise above the fray of that everyday back and forth and let his actions speak instead of trying to be the next sound bite." Even voters supporting other candidates were reluctant to pile on Biden, expressing a certain amount of reverence toward the former vice president that isn't as easily afforded to him in other early states. "I've worked with some of the segregationists, too," said Bernice Scott, a longtime Democratic activist and former councilwoman in Columbia. "Mr. Biden, I've met him several times, I've got some pictures with him...I think he was just trying to tell people what he had done and who he'd worked with." Scott leads a group of black women voters who call themselves "the Reckoning Crew" and have endorsed California Sen. Kamala Harris. During a monthly meeting on Thursday, one of the group's members asked what they should make of the controversy surrounding Biden. Scott said they couldn't affo
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