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Sanders, Clinton Court Black Voters in South Carolina Town Hall

With primary on Saturday, candidates give closing arguments
Black voters make up about half of Democratic electorate

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets guests after participating in a CNN event at the University of South Carolina on Feb. 23, 2016, in Columbia. — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets guests after participating in a CNN event at the University of South Carolina on Feb. 23, 2016, in Columbia.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images

By

Margaret Talev and

February 24, 2016, 4:13 AM UTC

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton made direct appeals to African-American voters Tuesday, with Sanders defending President Barack Obama against Republican attacks, days before South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary.

The two candidates appeared separately in a CNN town hall forum covering topics including foreign policy, the Supreme Court and gun control. Neither staked out new positions. Both supported Obama’s proposal, released earlier Tuesday, to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and move the detainees captured in the war on terrorism to a facility in the U.S.