As voters head to the polls in the New Hampshire primary, former Vice President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he and his wife, Jill Biden would be fleeing the state for South Carolina as the campaign braces for another poor performance.
“I have enjoyed traveling across New Hampshire, speaking to countless Granite Staters who understand we are in a battle for the soul of this nation and I have relished fighting for each and every one of their votes,” Biden told supporters in an email. “I am looking forward to traveling to South Carolina this evening and Nevada later this week to carry our campaign forward and hear from the diverse voters whose voices must be heard in this process.”
Healthy campaigns expecting to do well don’t pivot their focus away from the voting state on the day of the election.
Biden’s decision to look ahead to the last two early state contests before Super Tuesday on Mar. 3 comes after Biden suffered a disappointing fourth place finish in the Iowa caucuses last week.
The former vice president played down his expectations in New Hampshire during Friday’s debate in Manchester where Biden admitted that his campaign is bracing for yet another major set back in today’s primary.
“I took a hit in Iowa, and I’ll probably take a hit here,” Biden conceded.
“It’s a long race. I took a hit in Iowa,” former Vice President Joe Biden tells @GStephanopoulos when asked about Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg coming out on top in Iowa. https://t.co/xf1187lahq #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/0FTpHeFUDL
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 8, 2020
According to Real Clear Politics’ latest aggregate of polls, Biden is headed for an either fourth of fifth place finish tied with neighboring Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 11 percent support each. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is poised to take home a first-place win with nearly 30 percent followed by former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg with more than 21 percent and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar with nearly 12 percent.
Biden will be addressing supporters in New Hampshire Tuesday night through a livestream.
