Joe Biden’s rivals scramble to capitalise on his woes in South Carolina

JILL BIDEN was in her element. A lifelong teacher, even during her two terms as Second Lady, she headlined an “Educators for Biden” event in a modest Baptist church in North Charleston. The smartly dressed, mostly African-American crowd was on the older side (it was mid-afternoon on a weekday), as is Joe Biden’s support generally. It felt less like a “getting to know you” than a “nice to see you again” event. Rev Bernard Brown, who said he had been “associated with” Mr Biden for a long time, called the former vice-president “a man of good character.” David Mack, a state representative from Charleston, said the Bidens had sent flowers after his mother died, just a few weeks earlier. The afternoon’s biggest applause was for a woman in the audience who said she was “voting for Joe because he’s an elder statesman. He’s been there.”