Things move quickly in primary season: it has been about three weeks since the contests started, and since then waves of optimism and pessimism have washed over the candidates. Bernie Sanders started out the contests by tying in Iowa and winning in New Hampshire. A slight defeat in Nevada didn't do much to dampen the sails. Two weeks ago, if I can remember that far back, I was being amused by a Facebook page called "Bernie Sanders Dank Meme Stash", where young people announced they were "Feeling the Bern" via attributing opinions about which iteration of the Pokemon Franchise was cooler to Clinton and Sanders. Hello political archaeologists in 2020 and beyond, yes, this was a thing.
But just as my own life got less winsome, so too did the dreams of Sanders' supporters. It was widely predicted that in a state where the Democratic electorate was heavily African-American, such as South Carolina, Clinton would have an edge over Sanders. Despite Sanders attempts to shore up his image as a minority-friendly candidate (including a picture of him marching with Martin Luther King, Jr.), the idea that the race was Clinton's persisted, and the results tonight, with Clinton winning with 74% of the vote to Sanders' 26%, have probably hinted that Clinton well do well across the South and in other minority-heavy areas.
The early Democratic Primaries have done what primaries are supposed to do: give an idea of where the candidates strength's and weaknesses lie, and giving a shape to the rest of the race. Things are going according to plan, which is quite a contrast to the Republican contest, which looks to be a confused fight that heralds a realigning election, but that story must wait until next Tuesday...