CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The Latest on the 2020 Democratic presidential primary contest (all times local):
10:35 a.m.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is launching a multi-million dollar television and digital advertising campaign in 12 of the 14 states holding primary elections on Tuesday, March 3.
The announcement comes on the heels of a strategy memo released by Buttigieg’s campaign manager describing the possible but tricky path to the nomination the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor faces.
Buttigieg, meanwhile, is campaigning in South Carolina, where his appeal among African American voters who make up the majority of the electorate in Saturday’s primary will be tested.
The memo from campaign manager Mike Schmuhl said Buttigieg has a path to the nomination, in part, if he holds down front-runner Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ winning margins on March 3.
Buttigieg’s television and on-line ad buy opens today in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.
Buttigieg has faced fundraising pressure, having spent twice what he raised in January en route to top-two finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. He has been asking supporters to help him reach $13 million ahead of Super Tuesday.
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9:55 a.m.
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.
The group said Thursday the 73 volunteers will report and address any problems with the help of legal advocates. They’ll be at precincts in Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester and Lexington counties as voters go to the polls.
The ACLU says anyone who sees any issues should report them to a voter protection hotline. Polls in South Carolina are open on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Biden has long led in polling in South Carolina. But Biden’s lead has tightened in recent months, in part because of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ momentum after success in other early state contests. And California billionaire Tom Steyer has spent millions of dollars on ads in the state.
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Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, “Ground Game.”
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