-Most political events are tough to get into.
They're expensive, there's a dress code,
and you have to be on the list.
-This event? This is America.
-But at Congressman Jim Clyburn's fish fry,
everyone is welcome.
-Started in 1992. I said to myself --
I said, "Look, we're gonna have a fish fry,
and we're gonna make it affordable for all these people
that come here working."
And they said, "Well, what's affordable?"
I says, "Free."
And so that's what started the fish fry.
-South Carolina's Democratic Party
holds its annual convention on the same weekend,
but some of the most important politicking happens here.
-Donald Trump has got to go! Hey!
Hey! Ho!
Ho! Donald Trump has got to go!
-C-O-R-Y!
Cory Booker is our guy!
C-O-R-Y!
Cory Booker is our guy!
-Oh, when the banks! -Oh, when the banks!
-Go marching in! -Go marching in!
-Oh, when the banks go marching in!
-Attendees who have come back over the years say
it captures the essence of Clyburn's clout.
-Congressman Clyburn stands for everything
that we stand for -- integrity,
doing the right thing, and helping people.
-This is very important, where you create spaces
where everyone feels welcome
and everyone has the opportunity to speak to politicians,
not just the wealthy.
-Clyburn is the highest-ranking black member of Congress,
and he's a kingmaker in this early primary state.
For Democrats with White House ambitions,
the fish fry has become a can't-miss event.
There are 23 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.
21 of them were here.
-In our America, our children will never have to sit in school
and go through a gym worried about a gunman
roaming the halls of their classroom and school!
-How about a wealth tax on the top .
01%!
-Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
-Imagine a woman at the head of the table.
-They were only given one minute to make their case to voters.
-No matter where you worship, no matter how you love,
that you can succeed in this country.
-And the middle class
has been getting screwed now for 40 years.
-I am running for president to help manage this transition
and advance real solutions for the American people.
-South Carolina is the first primary state
where African Americans will cast the majority of the votes.
Early polls show Joe Biden with a comfortable lead here.
After eight years as Barack Obama's vice president,
many people feel like they know him.
-What else are we gonna learn about Joe Biden?
I mean, seriously.
-And some in the crowd were talking about Joe Biden
after a week where he proudly described working hand-in-hand
with senators who supported segregation.
-Him saying, "They called me 'son' instead of 'boy,'"
was a bit over the top, to say the least.
But -- -I know that.
Maybe he said it in a way that then people know
that he was back there, too.
'Cause he's 73, too.
So he was back there, too.
But I love him. I tell you, I love him.
-I thought that Cory took it just for political gain.
That's how I felt about it.
And I'm not voting for Biden,
and I felt like that was a bit much.
-Whomever the Democratic nominee is, we have to stay together
and elect a Democrat president of the United States of America!
-That's the shortest speech Joe Biden ever made.
-Clyburn's fish fry has grown considerably
since its humble beginnings,
and this was the largest one yet.
-Part of this fish fry is to remove the mystery
that seems to exist about all of this.
-Both annual attendees and first timers
say the event remains true to its roots.
-It's a way, really, for him to show,
you know, one, that he cares about his constituents
and just the people of South Carolina that he's been serving,
you know, for more than three decades.
-It's been a kind of, uh, sad couple of years,
so this feels exciting.
-And the enthusiasm on this night
reflected the hope of Democrats
that the next president could be in this room.
-To meet the next president would be a great thing for me,
as well as for my daughter, who's 13 years old.