Clyburn: Nevada will have ‘somewhat of an impact’ on South Carolina

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Sunday the results of the upcoming South Carolina primary “may not line up with” the results from the three prior early voting states. 

“I do believe that Nevada will have somewhat of an impact on South Carolina, all the prior contests do have an impact. I do believe, however, though that South Carolinians know why they’re in this pre-primary window,” Clyburn said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“We got in the window because of the demographics of this state, and the demographics of the Democratic electorate, and we think we reflect that.” 

Rep. Jim Clyburn tells @GStephanopoulos he won’t endorse a candidate ahead of the South Carolina debate on Tuesday: “I’m going to honor this debate. I’m not going to distract from it at all … But on Wednesday morning I will let my choice be known.” https://t.co/nfhvxYle4Z pic.twitter.com/FnLIV1tQWH

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 23, 2020

South Carolina will be the first state in the primary season with a significant African American population, a factor that could shake up the field after the two of the first three states to vote were overwhelmingly white. 

“We really believe now that the West and the Midwest and Northeast have their say we are going to let people know how we feel about these candidates, and it may not line up with Nevada or New Hampshire or Iowa,” Clyburn said. 

{mosads}Clyburn has said he will not endorse a candidate until after Tuesday’s debate in his state. 

His comments come a day after the Nevada caucuses, where Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) claimed a decisive victory. The Nevada race was more diverse than the prior two states, with a significant Latino voting population. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden came in second, which his campaign touted as showing the candidate “coming back.” Biden has staked much of his candidacy on an expected success in South Carolina. 

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg fell to third place, after clinching the first and second spot in the first two states. Buttigieg has faced concerns over how he’ll perform in South Carolina, based on polling that has shown him lacking support from black voters. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) fell in fourth place in Nevada, however her campaign has seen an influx in donations since a strong performance in the Nevada debate that could give her an edge going into South Carolina and the Super Tuesday states.