On favorability, the extent of Biden’s advantage among African Americans is just as pronounced. At 69 percent favorable and only 13 percent unfavorable, Biden’s net favorability (plus-56) tops that of Sanders (plus-48), Warren (plus-39) and Buttigieg (plus-8). The good news for Buttigieg is that 34 percent of African American voters haven’t even heard of him and 21 percent have heard of him but have no opinion. He has room to grow, in other words. If Biden were the nominee, he would get 82 percent of African Americans. No other candidate would draw more than Sanders’s 74 percent.

Part of the explanation for their preference for Biden may be that African Americans overwhelmingly prioritize winning (57 percent) over agreement on issues (33 percent). In addition, by a 61 percent-to-21 percent margin, African American voters favor continuing President Barack Obama’s policies over policies that are more progressive than his. Whether this is based on loyalty to Obama, an assessment of what the voters as a whole will accept or their own moderate ideology (or some of each) is debatable. (When Warren talks about “big” and “fundamental change,” she probably is not endearing herself to these voters.)

There has been a long-standing debate in the Democratic Party about the continued status of two overwhelmingly white states in the first and second positions in the primary schedule. When one candidate dominates among African Americans to the extent Biden does, Iowa may prove predictive of nothing at all. If Biden eventually wins the nomination, it might be the perfect time to rethink the entire primary process, by rotating states, giving primacy to states that are the most diverse or moving to a regional primary system with a series of Super Tuesdays.

Finally, the media should take stock of their coverage to date. The overwhelmingly white national press corps has consistently devalued Biden’s strong base of support and harped on things that are entirely irrelevant to supporters or even endear him to them (e.g., gaffes, his hokey language). Mainstream outlets that pay more attention to Twitter than to African American voters, especially older African American voters who are not active on social media, may have underestimated Biden’s chances and overestimated the chances of candidates who, like them, are active on social media. This should be a reminder for the chattering class that their assessments of candidates do not necessarily correspond to reality.

Former vice president Joe Biden is far and away the favored candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination among black Americans, boosted by his personal popularity, his service in the Obama administration and perceptions that he is best equipped to defeat President Trump, according to a national Washington Post-Ipsos poll.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) occupies second place in the Democratic field among African American voters, easily outdistancing the remaining candidates in the race. Sanders is leading among black voters under age 35, replicating his success with younger white voters in other national polls. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) runs third.

The survey finds meager support for former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is among the leaders in polls in the predominantly white states of Iowa and New Hampshire but stands at 2 percent among Democratic black voters nationally. A lack of familiarity with him and concerns about his experience and sexual orientation appear to be contributing to his current standing. Buttigieg has said that as African Americans get to know him, he will gain more support, but the poll undercuts that assertion. He receives only 3 percent support among black voters who are familiar with him.

Before you @ me, remember the truism: No candidate will win the Democratic presidential nomination without significant support from African Americans. They are the foundation of the party, and black women are its backbone. And the Post-Ipsos poll, like many national polls before it, makes it clear that they want Trump defeated and they think former vice president Joe Biden is the person to do it.

Biden snagged 48 percent of those surveyed when asked which candidate they would vote for or caucus for in their state. The next-closest was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), with 20 percent. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) came in third with 9 percent.

Biden had the highest net approval rating among registered Democrats (69 percent) and overall (78 percent). Sanders followed with 63 percent and 71 percent, respectively. And Warren came in third with 51 percent and 58 percent, respectively.

Biden led on “best chance to defeat Trump” (53 percent), “handles issues important to blacks” (32 percent), “would unite the country” (43 percent), “strong character” (33 percent) and “closest on issues” (35 percent). Sanders is second to Biden on all these questions. But Warren comes in third on just “would unite country“ (6 percent), “strongest character” (10 percent) and “closest on issues” (9 percent). Interestingly, former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg did better with black voters on “best chance to defeat Trump” (6 percent) than Warren (5 percent). And Booker did better on “handle issues important to blacks” (14 percent) than Warren (7 percent)…..

What this new Post-Ipsos poll of African Americans voters has done is confirm that my Aunt Gloria has her finger on the pulse of black America. At the family barbecue, I asked her why she thought Biden was the person to take on Trump. Her answer left me slack-jawed and remains the best explanation for Biden’s continued strength. “The way the system is set up now, there is so much racism that it’s going to have to be an old white person to go after an old white person,” Aunt Gloria said. “Old-school against old-school.”

Joe has more relationships in our communities than anyone else in this race.

He has more history with our communities than anyone else in this race.

And Joe is more comfortable in our communities than anyone else in this race.

To say that Joe has betrayed black voters is not only dangerous, it is flat-out wrong. We already know his character, his heart and his record; you can’t try to make us believe something that runs counter to our own experiences with Joe Biden.

Not only has Joe spent his entire career fighting for civil rights, voting rights, equal justice and equal opportunity, it is what brought him into public service in the first place. In fact, Joe led the charge as a United States senator to extend and strengthen the Voting Rights Act in 1982.

He has fought for more resources to prosecute hate crimes, including resources for the Justice Department and FBI to reopen painful, unsolved murders from the civil rights era.

And in one of the greatest achievements of his career, Joe forged a path for the protection of women and girls — including women of color — by writing and spearheading the Violence Against Women Act.

Here’s what I don’t understand: If Joe Biden wasn’t a champion for black America, why did Barack Obama, our nation’s first African American president, choose Joe to be his vice president?

In my lifetime Joe’s steadfast support as Obama’s No. 2 was unprecedented; it was one of the first occasions when people who look like me were able to see a white man standing proudly and loyally behind a black man. And I can tell you this: South Carolina voters will never forget that.