TOM STEYER

Former President Barack Obama is marking the retirement of the South Carolina woman credited with popularizing the chant “Fired up, ready to go!”.

President Joe Biden often cites the critical role that South Carolina played when he won the Democratic nomination in 2020.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina, and former President George Bush, take a selfie before the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)COLUMBIA, S.C. – As they witnessed President Joe Biden take the oath of office on Wednesday, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said former Republican President George W. Bush lauded him as a “savior” for helping get Biden elected. The South Carolina Democrat is largely credited with giving Biden the endorsement he needed to shoot to the top of 2020′s large Democratic field and win his party's nomination. Clyburn, South Carolina’s only Democratic representative in Congress, is the dean of the state’s Democrats and the third-ranking member of the U.S. House. Clyburn said that his backing of Biden also came up Wednesday during conversations with former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the party's 2016 nominee.

They're trying to figure out how to reach young voters when campuses are empty and students are scattered across the country. The two college students are on opposite ends of the political universe but facing the same challenge: reaching young voters when campuses are empty and students are scattered across the country. With campuses closing, college students are especially transient, causing confusion about whether they should register at their home or school address. The shift to mail voting raises other unexpected hurdles for young voters, including a lack of familiarity with the U.S. Voting by mail also has its challenges, with studies showing young voters are more likely than voters of other age groups to have their mail-in ballots rejected.

MODERATE VOTERSA majority of Democratic voters wanted to put a moderate with practical policy proposals in office over a liberal with bold ideas. ___OLDER VOTERSA solid 61% of primary voters were older than 45 -- a group that firmly supported Biden. Biden finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3 and fifth in the New Hampshire primary about a week later. Before South Carolina, no candidate had earned more than one-third of this group. ___ALL BEFORE CORONAVIRUS AND GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATHThroughout the primaries, Democratic voters said health care was the most important problem facing the nation.

DES MOINES, Iowa Four relatively unknown Iowa Democrats are competing in a primary Tuesday to take on Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, an endeavor viewed as a long shot when better-known prospects last year took a pass on running. But as Democrats are increasingly bullish about their prospects in places such as Arizona and Colorado, the Iowa race is getting renewed attention as a potential battleground that could help the party regain the Senate majority. Greenfield's fundraising prowess reflects a broad array of support among Iowa Democrats. As of a week ago, nearly 500,000 Iowa voters, about one-quarter of the states electorate, had requested absentee ballots, the highest number of absentee ballot requests for any Iowa election, primary or general. The influx of primary-voting Democrats, including those who have been less active in recent cycles, could signal a resurgence of Iowa Democrats.

Biden campaign aides said after Tuesday night's debate that Biden was referring to being "separated" for a period of time from some others in a U.S. delegation. It’s looking for results," the former vice president said Thursday in South Carolina. There has been bipartisan opposition to drilling in South Carolina, including from one of Trump's top allies in the state, Republican Gov. Speaking Thursday at a small-town community health center in McClellanville, South Carolina, Biden countered with his "public option" government insurance plan to compete in the existing private market. The American Civil Liberties Union says it's dispatching dozens of trained volunteers across South Carolina to monitor voting precincts during Saturday's Democratic presidential primary.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)NEW YORK, N.Y. – CBS News faced an ill-timed blow to its reputation on Wednesday following a bruising Democratic presidential debate that its moderators struggled to keep from spiraling out of control, although it could take some comfort in the numbers. The Nielsen company reported that 15.3 million people watched Tuesday night's debate in South Carolina on CBS and BET. CBS, which was televising its first debate of this campaign, also had backstage leadership that had not done a presidential debate. “The Democratic debate last night reflected the intensity of the battle for president,” Zirinksky wrote. It was confusing because CBS did not give the entire screen over to the commercial, wrapping around debate graphics and a picture of the venue.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Latest on the 2020 Democratic primary contest (all times local):11:45 p.m.Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has cancelled four events in south Florida set for Wednesday because of illness. Buttigieg stills plans to attend an event Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, with the Rev. Biden said during Tuesday night's presidential debate in Charleston, South Carolina, that he is "looking forward" to making that a reality. Biden is relying on a base of support from black voters, who comprise the majority of voters in Saturday's South Carolina primary. ___8:15 p.m.Elizabeth Warren is going straight at fellow progressive Bernie Sanders as the latest Democratic presidential debate begins.

The victory, while encouraging for Sanders supporters, only deepens concern among establishment-minded Democratic leaders who fear that the self-described democratic socialist is too extreme to defeat Trump. In a show of confidence, Sanders left Nevada early to rally supporters in Texas, which offers one of the biggest delegate troves in just 10 days on Super Tuesday. The developer the Nevada Democrats had planned to use had its mobile app fail spectacularly in Iowa. Nearly three weeks later, Iowa Democratic officials have yet to post final results. In addition, it appeared Nevada Democrats were able to successfully navigate a complicated process for adding early voting to the caucus process.

South Carolina Gov. Steyer’s campaign told The Associated Press on Wednesday that state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter has signed on as a senior national adviser. Steyer has been vocal about his outreach to South Carolina’s black voters, who account for the majority of the Democratic electorate. Before that commemoration, he had spent several days campaigning in the state, notably speaking at an NAACP rally at South Carolina State University. A month later, he was at South Carolina State University to take part in an environmental forum coordinated by Cobb-Hunter.

“I've always been in support of my husband, because of that I came to Columbia to show my full support,” Taylor said in a statement. Black voters make up two-thirds of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina. Steyer had South Carolina to himself Sunday and Monday as the rest of the Democratic field campaigned in New Hampshire ahead of that state's Tuesday’s primary. Steyer has flooded South Carolina airwaves with millions of dollars in ads, building a robust staff and making numerous visits, holding more campaign events than any other candidate still in the race. ___Meg Kinnard can be reached at https://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP___Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”

They said Biden, who is running for president and is a top contender in the upcoming South Carolina primary, should distance himself from Harpootlian following the comments. “His refusal to do so will not go over well in the black community, and it certainly will not go over well with members of the Black Caucus that are standing behind me.”Harpootlian denies that his comments were racially motivated. In a statement provided to The Associated Press, he went on to call Harpootlian's comments “Trump-like dirty campaign tactics that the Biden campaign should not tolerate." Steyer has since been endorsed by other South Carolina lawmakers, including state Sen. John Scott, another member of the Black Caucus. Govan previously supported Biden, serving as an adviser and co-chairman of his 2008 presidential campaign in South Carolina.

“Racial bias permeates the system, really from policing to after they’ve been incarcerated,” Steyer told The Associated Press before the planned release of his proposal Thursday. Many black voters, who make up the majority of the Democratic electorate in the state, name criminal justice reform as among their top priorities. In part, Steyer proposes a top-down change in federal law enforcement, creating what his plan calls “a progressive Department of Justice,” including revamping federal grant programs to fund state and local initiatives. Part of Steyer’s education effort focuses on reforming the juvenile justice system. As for how to pay for the plan, Steyer notes the expense of incarceration, purportedly a cost that would be reduced by cutting inmate population rates.

Bloomberg, who has long considered a White House bid, sits atop a sprawling business empire and is worth more than $50 billion, easily making him the wealthiest candidate in the contest. But his attorneys say he is not yet prepared to disclose his investments and income. The FEC on Monday granted his request, giving him until Feb. 4 to file — one day after the Iowa caucuses. Bloomberg has said he is not competing in the first few presidential contests in states including Iowa and New Hampshire. ___Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”___This story has been corrected to delete an erroneous reference to White House contender Tom Steyer not releasing his finances.

The efforts, Steyer said Tuesday, are part of what his administration would see as a holistic approach to addressing America's racial divides. "This is the bridge to opportunity for these young people," Steyer said, noting he sought advice from leaders at HBCUs including Clark Atlanta and South Carolina State University. Steyer has been working to make inroads in South Carolina, home to the first primary with a significantly black electorate. On Monday, Steyer held a roundtable with black men, similar to a recent event put on by Cory Booker. Decreased HBCU federal funding, Steyer said, has left graduates disproportionately saddled with staggering student loans as schools increase tuition to account for the shortfall.

Steyer's Democratic presidential campaign announced the resignation of Pat Murphy, a former House speaker who served as a top adviser on Steyer's Iowa campaign. "After the conclusion of an investigation alleging improper communications with elected officials in Iowa, Pat Murphy has offered his resignation from the campaign effective immediately," Steyer's campaign manager Heather Hargreaves wrote in a statement. There's no evidence that any Iowans accepted the offer or received contributions from Steyer's campaign as compensation for their backing. Courtney described a similar interaction with Steyer's campaign. I'm working for Tom Steyer," Courtney recalled hearing from the aide.

(CNN) - A top Tom Steyer aide apologized Thursday after a report said he allegedly offered money in exchange for endorsements of his boss from Iowa politicians. "As a former legislator, I know how tricky the endorsement process can be for folks in Iowa," Murphy said in the statement. Steyer's campaign said the billionaire Democratic candidate did not make any individual contributions to political candidates in Iowa this year and will not be making any. There is no evidence that any Iowans accepted the alleged offers or received contributions from Steyer's campaign in exchange for their support. Courtney declined to name Murphy as the Steyer aide who made the offer, The Associated Press reports.

(CNN) - A staffer on Tom Steyer's presidential campaign in South Carolina resigned late Monday after accessing volunteer data from Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. Sims previously worked for the South Carolina Democratic Party as a voter file manager with access to campaigns' proprietary data. "The Steyer campaign takes this issue very seriously. "We apologize to the South Carolina Democratic Party and the DNC. Tom Steyer and the Steyer campaign extend our deepest apology to Senator Kamala Harris and her campaign."

CNN(CNN) - Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Tom Steyer will take questions from voters in Iowa next week at separate CNN town halls held on back-to-back nights. The town halls will occur less than 100 days before the Iowa caucuses, traditionally the first test for candidates seeking the presidential nominations. So far, CNN has held 22 separate, hour-long town halls with Democratic presidential candidates this year. In addition, CNN has held individual candidate town halls on specific issues such as climate change, LGBTQ matters and young voters. At the conclusion of the Biden town hall on Monday, CNN will have held 48 town halls in 2019 featuring the Democratic contenders for president.

Billionaire Tom Steyer plowed eye-popping sums into his presidential campaign. Two other Democratic presidential candidates -- Warren and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg -- have each stockpiled more than $20 million. That helped her post one of the biggest fundraising hauls in the crowded field of Democrats vying to face President Donald Trump next year. Among the 12 Democratic candidates who faced off on Tuesday night's debate stage, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro faces the biggest financial peril. Way, way back in the fundraising pack: Wayne Messam, the Miramar, Florida, mayor who has never gained traction in the Democratic presidential nomination.

CNN(CNN) - The stakes are high for candidates participating in Tuesday's CNN/New York Times Democratic debate, as the presidential hopefuls look to remain competitive in the crowded primary field. It will be businessman Tom Steyer's first presidential debate, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii will return to the stage after failing to qualify for the September debate. It will air exclusively on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Espaol, and will stream on CNN.com's homepage and NYTimes.com's homepage. The debate will also stream live on the following Facebook Pages: CNN, CNN International, CNN Politics, CNN Replay, AC360 and Erin Burnett OutFront. CNN anchors Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper and New York Times national editor Marc Lacey will serve as the debate moderators.

Steyer had always planned to self-fund his campaign, but the extent to which his personal wealth is propelling his campaign became clear with the fundraising announcement. Steyer has spent more than $30 million across television, Facebook and Google in just three months of his presidential campaign, according to the latest available data, a staggering figure that dwarfs any other Democratic campaign. But aides have told CNN that the candidate is prepared to spend upwards of $100 million on his campaign. Steyer's fundraising has been almost entirely online, according to the campaign, propelled by digital ads featuring the candidate and a large email list. Steyer's campaign received donations from 166,119 unique donors, for an average donation of $12.

The Thursday prime-time event in Los Angeles, airing live on the eve of National Coming Out Day, will feature the largest-ever audience for a Democratic presidential town hall devoted to LGBTQ issues. What time is the town hall? The town hall will air from 7:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Invitations to participate in the town hall were extended to Democratic presidential hopefuls who met the DNC's qualifications for the October 2019 primary debate. How can I watch the town hall?

(CNN) - The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday that the fifth Democratic presidential primary debate will be held on November 20 in Georgia. Last month, the DNC raised the polling and donor thresholds required to qualify for the November debate. Candidates also have a new option of reaching at least 5% in two polls of the early-voting states. The deadline for qualifying polls and donations for the November debate will be November 13 at 11:59 p.m., according to the DNC. The DNC's announcement comes one week before the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate, hosted by CNN and The New York Times, is set to take place in Ohio.

Democratic presidential candidate former tech executive Andrew Yang speaks during the Democratic Presidential Debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on Sept. 12, 2019, in Houston. (CNN) - Businessman Andrew Yang qualified for the Democratic debate in November by receiving 3% in a new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. Polling requirements are slightly more strenuous for the November debate, with multiple paths to qualification. Candidates have until late October to reach polling and grassroots fundraising thresholds set by the DNC. Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julin Castro, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke have all hit the required donor mark, but haven't received sufficient polling support.

Copyright 2019 CNN(CNN) - The CNN/New York Times Democratic presidential debate in October will occur on one night, the Democratic National Committee told campaigns Friday. The party's most recent debate in September featured 10 candidates debating on a single night. "Our goal has always been to expand viewership, and we also believe that one night worked well for this last debate," said the official, speaking on background. This is the second DNC-sanctioned debate CNN will broadcast in 2019. The debate will air exclusively on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Espaol, and stream on CNN.com's homepage and NYTimes.com's homepage.

Mike Coppola/Getty Images(CNN) - The Democratic National Committee announced Friday that CNN and The New York Times will co-host the party's fourth presidential debate next month in Westerville, Ohio. CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett, as well as New York Times National Editor Marc Lacey will serve as the debate moderators. This is the second DNC-sanctioned debate CNN will broadcast in 2019. It has also hosted 37 presidential town halls this year, and is partnering with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to air a live, multi-candidate Democratic presidential town hall on October 10 in Los Angeles. The debate will air exclusively on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Espaol, and stream on CNN.com's homepage and The New York Times' homepage.

Getty Images(CNN) - A new national poll finds former Vice President Joe Biden holding a comfortable lead over the rest of the Democratic field, but a separate survey of early voting states shows a closer contest between Biden and his two top progressive challengers. Biden continues to lead in the race with 27% among Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Sunday. In that poll, also released Sunday, Biden is neck and neck with either Warren and Sanders in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Harris trails behind with 8% along with Buttigieg (6%) and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke (4%). The results have a margin of sampling error of 5.5 points, including a sample of 437 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.

(CNN) - Billionaire Tom Steyer's campaign said Sunday he has qualified for the October Democratic presidential primary debate, giving his campaign a much-needed opportunity for publicity as he looks to break out of the bottom of the Democratic field. The longtime Democratic donor, now the 11th candidate to qualify for the DNC debate, made the cut on Sunday after a CBS News/YouGov poll found him polling at 2% in the early voting state of Nevada, his campaign announced. Steyer announced his presidential campaign in July despite originally ruling out a political bid in January. Steyer's late entry to the race and low initial polling saw him excluded from the September debate stage, despite spending more than $15 million on television and digital advertising in the first two months of his campaign. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS last month found Steyer polling at 1%.

In the last week, Steyer spent nearly $400,000 on Facebook ads to lead all candidates in advertising spending on the platform. A recent Facebook ad from Gillibrand deployed her young son Henry to ask for donations as small as $1. He's spent more than $571,000 on Facebook ads during the course of the campaign, the company's data shows. In one ad, Bullock's campaign writes: "First: The DNC BLOCKED Governor Steve Bullock from the first debate. In all, Democratic candidates have spent more than $38 million on Facebook and Google advertising so far during the 2020 campaign.

(CNN) - The third round of Democratic primary debates, hosted by ABC and Univision, will take place the second week of September. Presidential candidates have until late August to reach polling and grassroots fundraising thresholds set by the Democratic National Committee. Candidates must receive contributions from at least 130,000 individuals, coming from at least 400 unique donors in 20 or more states. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, billionaire Tom Steyer and author Marianne Williamson have reached the fundraising threshold, but still need to hit their polling minimum to qualify. Steyer has received three of his four necessary polls, Gabbard has two and Williamson has one.