ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) – The Democratic presidential field is kicking off a weekend of wooing African-American voters in South Carolina, a critical early voting state.
Front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley were expected to speak Friday night at a televised forum hosted by Rep. James Clyburn, a prominent black lawmaker.
With her national polling numbers on the rise after a summer slump, Clinton hopes to solidify her primary edge with minority voters. She’s expanding on her criminal justice policy, rolling out a series of new proposals that would reduce mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent drug offenders, grant greater discretion to judges and retroactively eliminate the five-year minimum sentence for possession of crack cocaine.
Sanders, meanwhile, is trying to introduce himself to Latino and African-American voters, who make up a crucial segment of the Democratic party. He’s rolling out a new series of radio ads aimed at black voters in South Carolina and Spanish-language spots targeting Hispanics in Nevada.
They’ll be joined at Friday’s forum by O’Malley, who’s struggled to gain traction in the polls.