In the days before the primary, Mr. Steyer’s South Carolina staff had swelled to more than 100 workers, many of them young and black South Carolinians.
In appearances around the state, Mr. Steyer focused his appeal on the economic and environmental injustices affecting African-Americans, as well as an unequivocal pledge that the federal government would pay reparations to the descendants of slaves if he were elected.
“We should have a formal commission on race to retell the story of the last 400-plus years in America of systematic legal injustice, discrimination and cruelty,” he said in Tuesday’s debate.
Mr. Steyer repeated the pledge at a fish fry sponsored by his campaign in North Charleston on Thursday, where he also had recruited the black radio personality Sheryl Underwood to speak on his behalf.
“I support his ability to speak to issues that our community needs somebody to speak to,” Ms. Underwood said of Mr. Steyer. “I support the coalescing of his resources with our resources to get more people into the process.”
In the end, though, it was not enough, and, despite the onslaught of spending, many South Carolinians viewed Mr. Steyer’s campaign as more of a novelty than anything. Democratic political activists had coined a new term to describe his foray into the state: South Carolina had been “Steyered,” they said.
Stephanie Saul reported from Columbia, S.C., and Matt Stevens reported from New York. Alexander Burns contributed reporting.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/us/politics/tom-steyer-drops-out.html
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