Biden wins South Carolina primary – initiating path to 2024 nomination

President Joe Biden was expected to win the South Carolina Democratic primary

President Joe Biden unsurprisingly won the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, taking a majority of the votes and delegates in the Democratic party’s first official trip to the ballot box of the 2024 election season.

The Associated Press called the primary in favour of Mr Biden approximately 30 minutes after polls closed at 7pm EST.

He ran as the incumbent against two lesser-known candidates: Representative Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson.

The win marks Mr Biden’s first official victory in his journey to re-election. Although the president obtained a majority of votes in New Hampshire several weeks ago, no candidate will receive delegates because of a conflict between the state and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) over the timing of the primary.

However, Democratic voters in New Hampshire still wrote in the president’s name, signalling that Mr Biden still resonates strongly with liberal voters.

President Joe Biden speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, 1 February, 2024 (AP)

Four years ago, Mr Biden carried South Carolina in the Democratic primary with approximately 48 per cent of the vote.

With a similar win in South Carolina under his belt, the president can expect to look forward to a relatively easy primary season.

The next primary election will be held in Nevada on Tuesday.