WASHINGTON - Former vice president Joe Biden notched up a resounding win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, reviving his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and positioning him as the leading rival to frontrunner Bernie Sanders.
The victory, powered by support from African-American voters, was the 77-year-old Biden's first in the race and may give him momentum going into "Super Tuesday" next week, when 14 states go to the polls.
"Just days ago the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead," Biden told hundreds of supporters at a victory rally in the South Carolina capital Columbia.
"You've launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump," he said.
"We have the option of winning big or losing big," Biden added in a dig at Sanders' prospects against Trump in November's election.
With 99 percent of the ballots counted, Biden had 48.4 percent to 20 percent for the 78-year-old Senator Sanders, a self-described "democratic socialist."
"I can't wait for Super Tuesday to see him win all of those, every last one of those," Malone said.
Despite his South Carolina win, Biden may well face a Sanders buzzsaw on Super Tuesday.
Sanders, who narrowly lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016, is leading in nine of the 14 states to vote on Tuesday including California and Texas, the two biggest prizes. (AFP)