WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton’s southern firewall seems intact — for now.
Clinton leads Bernie Sanders 59-40 percent in South Carolina, which has narrowed only slightly in the last month, according to the new CBS Battleground Tracker poll.
The former Secretary of State had retained her popularity among African American voters who support her 73-26 percent, despite a huge loss in New Hampshire last week to Sanders.
Sanders has been increasing his outreach to minorities in upcoming states and is buoyed by his perception among voters as being honest and trustworthy.
“I think we’re going to surprise people in Nevada,” Sanders told Fox News Sunday. “I think we’re going to surprise people in South Carolina. I am talking to you right now from Denver, Colorado, where we just had 18,000 people coming out to a rally. I think we’re looking really good with a whole lot of momentum for Super Tuesday.”
Sanders has been hitting Clinton hard for her ties to Wall Street donations and speaking fees. He took aim at Clinton after a Super PAC supporting plans to spend some $4.5 million to drive out the vote in South Carolina, instead of holding its fire until the general election.
“You can get a sense of the nervousness within the Clinton campaign by seeing that they are now using their super PAC money, funded largely by Wall Street, against me,” Sanders told CBS’ Face the Nation. “So I think they understand that in this campaign we have the momentum.”
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Clinton beat Sanders by a sliver a percentage point in Iowa and but lost by 22 points in New Hampshire. Still she winning the delegate count 394-44. That’s because of super delegates (largely elected officials and party leaders) are pledging their support to her.
Sanders said Sunday he’s increasing his efforts to woo uncommitted super delegates in the next voting states.
“Just met with a couple last night,” Sanders told CBS.
“I think if we continue to do well around the country and if super delegates whose main interest in life is to make sure that we do not have a Republican in the White House, if they understand that I am the candidate, and I believe that I am, who is best suited to defeat the Republican nominee, I think they will start coming over to us,” he said.
Clinton, who won the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, is counting on a comeback in South Carolina where voters are more familiar with her record.
“Very clearly the African-American vote here is what is underpinning her lead,” said CBS News pollster Anthony Salvanto.
