U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ quest for the Democratic presidential nomination took him into the South over the weekend, with Sanders looking to make new inroads into a crucial constituency: black voters.
Sanders has tapped into liberal angst with front-runner Hillary Clinton and surged in the polls, but his crowds have been overwhelmingly white — including those greeting him during a two-day swing through South Carolina.
After clashes with “Black Lives Matter” activists, Sanders has adjusted his message to focus more on criminal justice reform and racial issues. He met with African-American community leaders, clergy and activists during his South Carolina debut.
Black voters make up the bulk of the Democratic primary electorate in South Carolina — a critical early primary state — Georgia and other Southern states. The Clintons have a deep well of support in the African-American community, where Sanders is less well known.
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