The Magnolia State’s demographics favor Joe Biden, although no public polling has been done

♦By Rich Shumate, ChickenFriedPolitics.com

JACKSON, Mississippi (CFP) — Mississippi Democrats will weigh in Tuesday on what has now become a two-man race between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, with the state’s large African American population pointing toward a Biden win.

Mississippi is the only Southern state holding a primary on Tuesday, and it comes a week after Biden swept seven Southern states, including neighboring Arkansas and Tennessee. Other states holding primaries or caucuses Tuesday include Idaho, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington.

Polls will be open in Mississippi from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT.

Sanders and Biden compete in Mississippi

Biden’s previous wins across the South have been based on rolling up large margins over Sanders among African American voters, and Mississippi has the nation’s largest black voting age population, at 37 percent. In 2016, Hillary Clinton crushed Sanders in the Magnolia State by 66 points.

Although no public polling has been done in Mississippi, the candidates’ schedules may point to how the campaigns feel about the state of the race.

Sanders canceled a planned visit on Friday to campaign in Michigan, while Biden was in Jackson Sunday to speak to the congregation of New Hope Baptist Church, where he was introduced by the state’s lone African American congressman, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who endorsed the former vice president earlier in the week.

“If I’m the comeback kid, there is only one reason — the African American community all around the country,” Biden said.

Republicans will also hold a primary Tuesday, with President Donald Trump facing only token opposition.

After Mississippi, the next Southern stop on the primary calendar is Florida on March 17, followed by Georgia on March 24.

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