COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – All political eyes are on South Carolina Friday night as just about all of the Democratic candidates for president are in Columbia.

The Blue Palmetto Dinner is the first event for the SC Democratic Convention weekend.

The convention is Saturday, but on Friday the majority of the presidential candidates are in town to meet with voters.

The Blue Palmetto Dinner is the more formal of the two events.

The other being Jim Clyburn’s Fish Fry, in which 22 of the 24 presidential candidates are expected to attend.

But, this whole weekend is about setting those priorities as a party and seeing how candidates measure up.

It also allows voters to hear their game plan, issues these candidates want to fix, and policies they want to propose.

The state plays a key role in deciding who could end up on the ballot in 2020.

“We get a close up look of the candidates, they get a chance to try out their message and see if it resonates in a mixed population which is what South Carolina is more so compared to Iowa or New Hampshire, and it allows them to set themselves apart from the pack,” said Charles Bierbauer, Former White House Correspondent.

There are 24 democratic candidates for president. The last large pool was in 2016 for the Republican party, in which there were 17.

The SC Democratic primary is February 29, 2020.

The only Republican challenging President Trump is former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld.

Joe Jackson, spokesperson for the Republican National Convention made this statement ahead of the Democratic Convention:

“South Carolinians continue to thrive under the policies championed by President Trump’s administration, but 2020 Democrats are flooding the state with plans to undo the success and economic prosperity voters have come to enjoy. While they hash out who’s moving furthest to the left this weekend, South Carolinians will be quick to reject their agenda that diminishes the quality of their health care, cuts jobs, and depletes their bank accounts.”

Count on News13 on-air, online, on social media, and on our mobile as your local election headquarters.