Poll numbers, big name endorsement render Biden optimism in decisive primary

After finishing previous nominating contests disappointingly, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden now has reason to be optimistic heading to the South Carolina primary Saturday.

Biden, a long-time frontrunner nationally in the Democratic race who recently got surpassed by rival Bernie Sanders, ranked first in an East Carolina University poll released Wednesday, which saw him take the lead with a 31-percent support rate in South Carolina.

Sanders, U.S. senator from the state of Vermont and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, trailed Biden in the poll with 23 percent of support.

Meanwhile, a Clemson University poll released the same day has Biden at the top with 35 percent of support, leading second-placed billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer by 18 percentage points.

Counting on African American voters in South Carolina, the former Vice President of the United States won a potentially vital endorsement from House Majority Whip James Clyburn, the highest-ranking black member of Congress and one of the most influential Democrats in South Carolina.

"I want the public to know that I'm voting for Joe Biden. South Carolina should be voting for Joe Biden," Clyburn said in a speech attended by Biden on Wednesday in North Charleston, South Carolina.

In an interview with FiveThirtyEight, a website specializing in presidential polls and other surveys, Clyburn said he is hopeful that South Carolinians will follow his lead as he made the endorsement.

The South Carolina primary could well be a watershed for Biden, followed by what is known as Super Tuesday next week, when 14 states and the U.S. territory of American Samoa will hold primaries or caucuses simultaneously. The Democrats Abroad primary, in which Democratic voters living abroad will cast their ballots, is also slated for the day.

Biden still falls behind Sanders in national polls, according to poll averages calculated by RealClearPolitics, which gathers and analyzes polling data.

Besides Sanders, Biden is also competing with fellow centrists -- former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who together with Sanders is considered a progressive, also remains in the race.

(CGTN)