The youngest Black woman to ever serve in Congress visited Aiken on Sunday afternoon as part of the South Carolina Democratic Party's effort to get out the vote for the Feb. 3 First in the Nation Democratic presidential primary.
Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., spoke on behalf of the campaign of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at a meet and greet held at the USC Aiken Student Activities Center.
Underwood became the youngest Black woman to serve when she was sworn in Jan. 3, 2019. Underwood also became the first Black woman since Shirley Chisholm in the 1970s to hold a leadership position in the Democratic House Caucus when she was elected to the Policy and Communications Committee in 2022.
"I've been a longtime supporter of President [Joe] Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris," Underwood said before the event began.
Underwood endorsed Biden before the 2020 election, the same day he picked Harris as his vice presidential nominee.
"This is the First in Nation primary," Underwood said. "This is the first time South Carolina's been the first state."
The Democratic National Committee voted last year to make South Carolina the first primary for the 2024 election. The move was widely seen as a reward to the state's voters and Congressman Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., for helping propel Biden to the Democratic nomination in 2020.
"The power of the Black vote has been so tremendous here within this state," Underwood said.
In 2020, 60 percent of the people who voted in the Democratic primary were Black.
"I wanted to make sure people understood how much power they had and that they were so enthusiastic about getting out the vote as I feel about this upcoming election," Underwood said. "So, I was really honored to be asked and happy to come and travel from Illinois and talk to some folks around your community."
Biden's been clear about delivering a message of hope over hatred, Underwood continued.
Biden called the 2020 election a battle for the soul of the nation with the extremism of then-President Donald Trump and the Republicans on one side and the foundations of American democracy on the other.
"That is something we're all looking for," Underwood said. "This kind of stability, a steady leader. We've rejected the politics of chaos and cruelty that we've seen in other past leaders."
She added thst the Biden administration's accomplishments during their first three years have affected the life of every American.
Underwood said 14 million new jobs have been created since Biden took office Jan. 20, 2021.
The House Budget Committee said in June the number of jobs Biden claims have been created during his tenure is misleading. It adds nearly 72 percent of these jobs were jobs that were stopped during the COVID-19 shutdowns that returned once those shutdowns ended.
"Here in South Carolina, there's been over 200,000 new jobs created," Underwood said. "That's bigger than the whole city of Charleston."
The Census Bureau estimates Charleston's population to be 153,672.
"I would like to see our economy grow at that rapid clip and have inclusive vision for people to allow them to see themselves in a prosperous way," Underwood said.
Underwood also said the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed with bipartisan support in 2021, had led to improved internet access and created great paying, often union jobs throughout the country.
She also said nearly 14,000 South Carolina residents have had some portion of their student loans forgiven and another 18,000 have had their student debt canceled.
