Washington (dpa) - After three defeats in the race for the presidential candidacy of the US Democrats, ex-Vice President Joe Biden has won a primary for the first time - and with a win.

Biden declared himself the winner of the important area code in the state of South Carolina on Saturday evening (local time). "We just won and we won a lot because of you," said the 77-year-old to cheering fans in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. Biden belongs to the moderate wing of the Democrats.

After counting more than 90 percent of South Carolina constituencies, Biden , according to the election commission , won almost 50 percent of the vote. Sanders was just under 20 percent. Sanders (78) continues to lead the field of applicants for the Democratic candidacy in nationwide surveys. Sanders - who calls himself a democratic socialist - has won two primaries so far. South Carolina was the fourth area code.

The area code in South Carolina was the last one before "Super Tuesday" next Tuesday. Then is elected in more than a dozen states. More than a third of all delegates will be assigned to determine the Democratic candidate in the summer. This candidate will vote against Republican incumbent Donald Trump on November 3 .

Trump himself has no serious internal party competition. The Republicans have therefore canceled their area codes in South Carolina and several other states.

In South Carolina, significantly more black voters were able to vote than in the previous primaries in the states of Iowa , New Hampshire and Nevada . Biden counted on being able to score with this group of voters. This hope was fulfilled. Biden was the vice president of Trump's predecessor Barack Obama , the first black president in the United States. In the event of Biden's defeat in South Carolina, speculation had been reached over the end of his campaign.

Biden thanked voters in South Carolina. "A few days ago, the press and experts declared this candidacy dead," said the former vice president. "We are very lively." Sanders congratulated his competitor on his victory. "We didn't win in South Carolina tonight," he said at a campaign event in Virginia Beach, Virginia. "I want to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory tonight."

Biden had started as a beacon of hope for moderate Democrats. He had been leading the nationwide polls for applicants for a long time before he was replaced by Sanders at the top. In the previous primaries, Biden was well below expectations. He'd finished fourth in Iowa, and fifth in New Hampshire. Biden was in second place in Nevada, but far behind Sanders.

In addition to Biden and Sanders, there are five other applicants in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in South Carolina: former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (78), ex-Mayor of South Bend (Indiana), Pete Buttigieg (38) , Senator Amy Klobuchar (59), Senator Elizabeth Warren (70) and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (38).

The billionaire and former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer (62) withdrew his application after another disappointing result in South Carolina. Steyer said on Saturday evening: "I don't see a way to win the presidency." Steyer did not win a single delegate in the four primaries. In South Carolina he came third with a good eleven percent. The other candidates remained in the single-digit range.

Bloomberg did not run in South Carolina - as in the other previous primaries. The multi-billionaire started the race late and is on the ballot papers for the first time on “Super Tuesday”. President Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday night that the victory of "sleepy" Joe Biden in South Carolina should be the end of the "joke of an election campaign" by "Mini Mike Bloomberg".

Buttigieg had a head-to-head race with Sanders at the first area code in Iowa in early February, but had ended up with a little more delegates. In the area code in New Hampshire, Sanders narrowly prevailed against Buttigieg. In Nevada, Buttigieg came third.

The primaries run until June. Afterwards, Democrats and Republicans finally nominate their presidential candidates at nomination party conferences - the Democrats in July in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) and the Republicans in August in Charlotte (North Carolina).