The Democrats presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has attacked the Republican party over its economic record under former president George W Bush. The former secretary of state was speaking in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on 26 February ahead of the latest primary vote determining the delegates who will support the Democrats candidate for the US presidency.
Clinton said, When my husband [Bill Clinton] was president, we had 23 million new jobs and incomes went up for everybody, not just folks at the top. Middle-class families, working families. And more people were lifted out of poverty than in any time in recent history. What happened? Well, the Supreme Court selected a Republican president, and they went back to trickle-down economics, took their eyes off the financial markets and the mortgage markets.
She added, There are so many issues that matter to South Carolinians that are not going to be addressed by the other party. This great institution deserves a lot more help from the state legislature than it receives. Whats the best way of getting that done? Elect people who will fight for you, who can get the numbers up in the state legislature to make that case.
Clinton leads the polls in the South Carolina primary, which takes place on Saturday, 27 February. Her significant lead has been put down to strong support from African-American voters in the state.
Clinton and rival candidate Bernie Sanders have been neck-and-neck in the race so far, with the Vermont senator overtaking the former first lady in three states, according to the latest polls .
