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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Brant Frost V is a former vice-chair of the Georgia GOP whose father, Brant Frost IV, founded First Liberty Building & Loan in 1993.   (YouTube screenshot)

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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