Washington/IBNS: Incumbent US President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary in the US state of South Carolina, the first official nominating contest for the party, on Saturday.

According to reports, Biden is leading with over 96% of the votes, while his Democrat rivals, Congressman Dean Phillips and writer Marianne Williamson, receive 2% of the votes each.

On the results, Biden posted on X: "As I said four years ago, this campaign is for everyone who has been knocked down, counted out and left behind. That is still true today. With more than 14 million new jobs and a record 24 straight months—two years—of the unemployment rate under 4%, including a record low unemployment rate for Black Americans, we are leaving no one behind.

"In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and set us on the path to winning the Presidency.

"Now in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the Presidency again—and making Donald Trump a loser—again."

The southern US state launched Biden's road to the White House in 2020 when he turned his campaign around after a series of stumbles in earlier primaries.

Biden had only two long-shot challengers in the primary: Minnesota congressman and gelato magnate Dean Phillips, and best-selling self-help author Marianne Williamson.