Rep. Jim Clyburn’s fish fry brings 21 presidential candidates together

Presidential Candidates Attend Annual Jim Clyburn Fish Fry In South Carolina — COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – JUNE 21: After delivering their speeches, members of the Democratic presidential field join together on stage at Rep. Jim Clyburn’s “World Famous Fish Fry” on June 21, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. Twenty-two Democratic presidential candidates are scheduled to appear in South Carolina this weekend as the state Democratic party hosts its annual convention. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

What better way to bring people together in the summer time than a fish fry? Fish frys have been happening in the Black community forever to fundraise or bring light to issues, and a South Carolina representative is keeping the tradition alive.

Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn hosted a fish fry on Friday evening in Columbia, South Carolina for the community to hear from 21 democratic candidates on their hopes for becoming the 46th president of the United States.

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According to CNN, the candidates wore matching shirts as they appeared on stage together. The last few weeks on the campaign trail have been steamy for some candidates at odds, but they managed to keep all tensions under control at the South Carolina event. Just last week, Cory Booker asked former vice president Joe Biden to apologize for his recollections of working with an old segregationist senator.

At the fish fry, Biden spoke about the democratic party having unity, according to CBS News. “Whomever the Democratic nominee is, we have to stay together and elect a [Democratic] president of the United States.” All candidates were given a brief 90 seconds to speak.

Clyburn‘s event was proven to be a success. When asked about the turn out, he mentioned not thinking all the candidates would show up. “No!” he said to CNN. “I never thought so. But I always hoped!”

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The state of South Carolina is critical in the upcoming presidential race. South Carolina will host the first primary in the South on Feb. 29, 2020. According to CBS News, it’s considered a key state where Black voters make up 61 percent of the electorate. If a candidate does poorly in South Carolina, it could be an indicator of that candidate’s lack of support in the Black community.

Good job Rep. Clyburn for staying woke and getting the people informed!