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New Hampshire Primary: Joe Biden Changes Course, Leaves For South Carolina

NASHUA, N.H. (CBS) – Former Vice President Joe Biden left New Hampshire for South Carolina on Tuesday, rather than staying in the Granite State as results were announced in the Democratic presidential primary.

Biden's campaign announced the change Tuesday morning. Instead of staying for a results party in New Hampshire as planned, Biden and his wife Jill traveled to South Carolina and addressed supporters over a live stream.

Joe Biden
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden look on as he and his wife Dr. Jill Biden speak via simulcast during his primary night event at the Radisson Hotel on February 11, 2020 in Nashua, New Hampshire (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

"I have enjoyed traveling across New Hampshire, speaking to countless Granite Staters who understand we are in a battle for the soul of this nation and I have relished fighting for each and every one of their votes" said Biden in a statement. "I am looking forward to traveling to South Carolina this evening and Nevada later this week to carry our campaign forward and hear from the diverse voters whose voices must be heard in this process to select the Democratic nominee who will unite this country to defeat Donald Trump."

Leading up to the New Hampshire primary, Biden was in fourth place in the latest WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University tracking poll. Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar were the top three candidates with Biden and Elizabeth Warren within a fraction of each other in fourth and fifth place.

"We're going to head to South Carolina tonight, then we're going to go to Nevada," Biden told CBS News following the announcement. "As I've said from the beginning, we've got to look at them all. I'm feeling good about that. We had a lot of great friends here help us a lot. We're still mildly hopeful here in New Hampshire and then we'll see what happens."

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