COLUMBIA, S.C. – Hours after busting a move on the dance floor that went viral, an optimistic Tom Steyer pledged that he’s ready “to close the deal” in South Carolina’s first-in-the-south presidential primary.
The Democratic presidential candidate told supporters and volunteers gathered at his South Carolina campaign headquarters on Saturday that “there is an old saying when you run a race, which is that you don’t run to the end, you run through the tape. And that is exactly where we are today.”
WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR BIDEN, SANDERS, AND STEYER IN SOUTH CAROLINA’S PRIMARY
The billionaire hedge fund manager turned progressive advocate emphasized that “we have come all the way. We can see the end of the race. But you don’t run to the end of the race, you run right through the tape. And that’s what we’re here to do today, to close the deal.”
Steyer added that “this state, the experience with you all, one of the great experiences of my life.”
The candidate’s had a string of lackluster single-digit finishes this month in the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, and the Nevada caucuses. But Steyer – who’s been heavily courting black voters – is optimistic things will be different Saturday in South Carolina, where African Americans are expected to make up roughly 60 percent of the Democratic presidential primary electorate. The most recent polls in the state suggested he was in third place, behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the front-runner in the race.
Steyer told Fox News on Friday that “we have a very good team here. I’ve spent a lot of time on the ground and I’m talking straightforwardly about issues. This is a heavily African-American state. I talk very straightforwardly about race. I’m the only person talking about reparations for slavery. I think I’ve been here the most and looked most people in the eye and talked most straightforwardly.”
Steyer made another pitch for black voter support as he showed off his moves Friday night, dancing onstage to a live performance of “Back that Thang Up” — the PG version of 1999 classic “Back that Azz Up” — by rapper Juvenile at his primary-eve rally. The event was held at Columbia’s Allen University, a historically black college. The spectacle caught fire on social media.
He later tweeted: “Dance like nobody’s watching. Vote like the world’s watching.”
STEYER’S PRIMARY EVE DANCE MOVES GO VIRAL
Steyer and Biden, who’s also counting on strong support from African Americans, are the only two Democratic candidates who will be in South Carolina when the polls close on Saturday night.
Asked how a solid finish in South Carolina will help him in the Super Tuesday states, Steyer told Fox News on Friday that “I think that’s a springboard for people to think that I can pull this party together, which is what I want.”
A third of all Democratic presidential nomination delegates are up for grabs in three days, when 14 states from coast-to-coast hold contests on Super Tuesday.
Fox News’ Mitti Hicks contributed to this report.
