Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to Battle for Minority Voters in Upcoming Contests (VIDEO)

At the Los Angeles Times, "Black votes matter in Democratic presidential race as campaigns shift to more diverse states":

Hillary Clinton’s allies in the black community moved aggressively Wednesday to shore up her support with minority voters following her crushing defeat in New Hampshire, as Sen. Bernie Sanders worked to win over the black and Latino voters who will now be crucial to the outcome of the Democratic nominating contest.

Sanders lost little time moving from his victory rally in New Hampshire to a new, more diverse arena. The Vermont senator headed for Harlem for breakfast with Rev. Al Sharpton, the well-known black leader and commentator. Soon social media was ablaze with photos of the two eating at Sylvia’s, a well known New York soul food restaurant.

From there, Sanders headed for ABC’s “The View,” where he shared his thoughts about police brutality with the program’s 2 million viewers.

By mid-afternoon, Clinton surrogates in the African American community were firing back, charging Sanders with inflating his civil rights credentials.

“Hillary Clinton has been a true friend to the African American community for the last 40 years,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), said on a media conference call arranged by Clinton’s campaign. “During that period of time, Bernie Sanders has been largely missing in action.”

As her supporters threw barbs, Clinton herself lay low, taking stock of the damage caused by her 22-point loss in New Hampshire and looking ahead toward a debate with Sanders on Thursday night.

The next few weeks will pose a critical test for both campaigns as the competition shifts from the all-white electorates of Iowa and New Hampshire to racially diverse states whose electorates more nearly reflect the broader population. Nevada’s Democratic caucuses are on Feb. 20; South Carolina’s Democratic primary is Feb. 27.

In both states, Sanders is up against a rival who has deep ties in black and Latino communities and who has also been steadily lining up key endorsements from well-liked minority lawmakers and civil rights leaders for months.

The Clinton campaign had long viewed Nevada and South Carolina as bulwarks that would protect it against any unexpected surge by Sanders...

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