2020 South Carolina primary election results

Based an analysis of the exit polls, ABC News projects Joe Biden as the winner of the South Carolina Democratic primary.

Saturday is a crucial day for the 2020 presidential candidates, as voters headed to the ballot box amid the state's primary -- and 54 delegates up for grabs.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. ET and closed at 7 p.m. ET, though if a voter was in line before the cutoff time, they were still able to cast their vote.

The Democratic candidates on the South Carolina ballot were: former Vice President Joe Biden; former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; businessman Tom Steyer and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Republican officials in the Palmetto State voted in 2019 to cancel their nominating contest in 2020 virtually paving a smooth pathway to the nomination for President Donald Trump.

State Significance

South Carolina traditionally holds the first-in-the-South primaries for Republicans and Democrats. The last of the four early nominating contests, and also the most delegate-rich, is notable for its large proportion of black voters on the Democratic side. Nearly 30% of the population is African American. In 2016, 61% of the South Carolina's Democratic primary voters were black, according to exit polls.

Last presidential cycle, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won in a landslide over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 74% to 26%. Then-candidate Donald Trump also clinched a victory in the 2016 Republican primary, with 32.5% of the vote.