What a difference being the incumbent can make.

In South Carolina’s 2020 Democratic primary, now President Joe Biden collected 9,720 votes in Lexington County, 39.87% of the votes cast in the county. The showing was part of a key victory for Biden as he went on to secure the Democratic nomination and unseat Donald Trump. Statewide, Biden nabbed 262,336 votes in that primary, 48.65% of the total cast.

The drop in voting in this year’s Democratic primary, which found Biden seeking re-election without a serious challenger, was substantial both statewide and in Lexington County.

Biden easily won the 2024 primary with 126,321 votes (96.22%), with Marianne Williamson grabbing 2,726 (2.08%) and Dean Phillips managing 2,239 (1.71%). The total votes cast (131,286) represented 4.09% of the state’s registered voters.

The story was much the same in Lexington County, where Biden collected 4,489 votes (95.17%) to Williamson’s 120 (2.54%) and Phillips’ 108 (2.29%). While the margins were roughly the same, the turnout was less in the county than it was statewide, with the 4,726 ballots cast representing 2.56% of the county’s 184,257 registered voters.

Voting totals statewide and in Lexington County promise to be far more robust when the state turns to its Republican primary Feb. 24, as Trump, in his bid to return to the White House, faces a determined challenge from former Palmetto State governor Nikki Haley.

The most recent Republican presidential polling at FiveThirtyEight has Trump leading with a commanding 73.4%. Haley has gained some support as the other challengers (Ron Desantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, etc.) have dropped out — she currently sits at 17.6% — but Trump has gained more.