COLUMBIA, S.C. _ Nearly all of the Democrats running for president were in Columbia Saturday where they got a chance to make their pitch to voters.
They gathered to speak at the South Carolina Democratic Convention and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund presidential forum.
At 2 p.m., former Vice President Joe Biden could not escape questions over his initial support for the Hyde Amendment at the Planned Parenthood forum. On Saturday, Biden attempted to clean up any confusion voters might have about where he stood, saying his record in Washington speaks for itself. He said his health plan would cover all women, no matter their income, and resources through his plan could be used for reproductive health care.
Among the questions Biden received was from a West Virginia woman, who told Biden not only was she a victim of spousal abuse, but that an abortion she had "saved her life." Biden said more needed to be done to support victims of domestic violence.
Biden asked the woman to talk to him personally after his remarks at the forum, even going as far to say, "I think I can directly help your personal situation as well."
Before Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders took the stage with seven surrogates, supporters and campaign co-chairs standing behind him. Six were black, including former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, activist Cornell West and actor Danny Glover. One, an Indian American, was U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
It sent a powerful message that the Vermont Independent is trying to show South Carolina Democrats he can resonate with the states majority-black primary electorate after a poor showing in 2016. He taunted centrist Democrats who gathered in Charleston last week and called him an "existential threat." He called for an end to private prisons and pledged to implement Rep. Jim Clyburn's 10-20-30 anti-poverty plan. Clyburn is a Democrat from South Carolina.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro brought convention-goers to their feet when he read out the names of unarmed black men and women killed by law enforcement, ending with Walter Scott of Charleston, who was gunned down by a white police officer in 2015.
At the same time, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris took the stage at the Planned Parenthood forum, walking out to Missy Elliott's "Work It." She took a direct shot at President Donald Trump, saying, "He doesn't fully understand the power of the microphone in the hands of the president of the United States, to elevate public discourse and inform the public about their rights."
South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigeig addressed South Carolina Democrats for the first time this convention weekend, unable to make the fish fry the night before because he was needed at home to address a community reeling from a police-involved shooting of a black man. He addressed the matter at the top of his remarks.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, was the first presidential candidate to walk on stage. She walked out to Lizzo's "Good as Hell."
"There's been an all out assault on our reproductive freedom," said Gillibrand, who added, as president, would only appoint judges and justices who believe Roe v. Wade is settled law and would repeal the federal Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions, unless in cases of rape, incest or if a woman's health is at risk.
"If President Trump wants a war on American's women, it's a war he's going to have a war he's going to lose."
Speaking second, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts nodded to funding historically black colleges and universities and the bill she has introduced with Clyburn to eradicate student debt.
Harris of California was the first presidential candidate to speak at the state party convention.
She drew a crowd of enthusiastic supporters toward the front of the stage.
"I believe in an America where no one tells a woman what to do with her body," she said during one part of her speech, a nod to the Planned Parenthood forum taking place across the street.
State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, an influential state Democrat and a Democratic national committeewoman, said she gave Biden some unsolicited advice on Friday.
"Please," Cobb-Hunter said she told Biden at a meeting with black elected officials and activists in the state, "just go ahead and apologize so we can put this story to bed and move on."
Biden has been under fire over the past several days for using his rapports with notorious segregationist legislators as examples of how he will "bring people together" as president. Cobb-Hunter said she "whispered" her advice in the vice president's ear on Friday since she had to leave the meeting early.
Otherwise, she told The State, she would have shared her thoughts with the whole group. She made it clear that she was not advising Biden because she preferred him as a candidate: Cobb-Hunter never endorses in primaries or reveals who she will be voting for.
She also said she was not personally offended by Biden's remarks, understanding the intention behind his remarks was good. She simply wanted to pass along advice.
"Some people surround themselves with supporters and they don't always hear an opposing view," Cobb-Hunter explained. How did he respond to the tip? "I don't want to characterize how he was feeling," Cobb-Hunter said, "but it did appear to me that he didn't appreciate it and it caught him off guard." Biden did not address the controversy at the fish fry Friday night. He is scheduled to address the convention Saturday evening.
In a statement, S.C. GOP chairman Drew McKissick jabbed Democratic candidates speaking at the forum. "It's amazing to see that their first stop is to go pay homage to the radical pro-abortion lobby at Planned Parenthood," he said. "It's truly disgraceful, but unfortunately not surprising with this group of radicals."
The counterprotest was organized by the nationally organized Students for Life of America and the University of South Carolina's Advocates for Life.
Trav Robertson caught some flak earlier this week for giving exclusive convention streaming rights to MSNBC.
But the incumbent chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party easily won reelection to another term on Saturday. In his speech appealing to delegates, Robertson, of Anderson, laid out a bold vision for party efforts this cycle, including a promise that he would make it his mission to retake the Republican-controlled S.C. Senate.
He defeated underdog candidate Adam White, of Charleston, built his case around a pledge to invest in small counties around the state and that new leadership could result in more wins statewide.
