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http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/25/obama-walks-fine-line-with-black-voters-in-south-carolina/
Obama Seeks Win in S.C. to Reinforce Co-Frontrunner Status
Friday, January 25, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Voters headed to the polls on Saturday as South Carolina
kicked off its Democratic primary, in which race remained a persistent
subtext as Barack Obama found himself going up against two Clintons.
South Carolina became a "must win" state for Obama, whose victory in the
Iowa caucuses Jan. 3 began to fade after he lost contests in Nevada and New
Hampshire to Hillary Rodham Clinton. A win here on Saturday could help
reinforce Obama's co-frontrunner status with Clinton, while a loss would
severely imperil his candidacy.
Polls showed Obama favored to win the state in large part due to his strong
support among black voters, who are expected to comprise more than 50
percent of the electorate. The Illinois senator is running to be the first
black president.
The state Democratic Party chairwoman, Carol Fowler, predicted a record
turnout.
Obama has made a direct appeal to blacks here after rarely mentioning race
throughout the campaign. He'll continue that strategy going forward, making
trips to Georgia and Alabama later this weekend. Both states hold primaries
on the multistate "Mega Tuesday" contest Feb. 5 and feature a significant
number of black voters.
For her part, Clinton was already looking ahead to Feb. 5 even as the South
Carolina primary loomed. She campaigned in California, Arizona and New
Jersey early in the week before returning to South Carolina on Thursday. She
was headed to Tennessee after the polls close here Saturday.
With his wife's attention directed elsewhere, Bill Clinton stepped into a
starring role in South Carolina - aggressively challenging Obama's record
while scolding the media for what the former president said was unfair
coverage of the contest.
Widely popular among black voters, Bill Clinton complained that reporters
cared too much about the racial aspect of the campaign even as he predicted
Obama would win here because of his race.
His high-profile role left Obama to complain that he didn't know which
Clinton he was running against.
John Edwards, who has pinned his fading hopes on his native South Carolina,
campaigned actively in the state throughout the week. The former North
Carolina senator won the state's primary in 2004, but polls showed him
running a distant third to Obama and Clinton.
The run-up to the primary was noteworthy for its nasty tone - from a
rancorous televised debate early in the week to the first negative ads of
the campaign.
Clinton and Obama clashed bitterly in a televised forum Monday in Myrtle
Beach, chiding one another on issues of character and trustworthiness.
Edwards tried to rise above the rancor while pleading for equal air time.
The two leading candidates also squared off in a pair of radio ads - Clinton's
challenging Obama's claim that Republicans were once "the party of ideas,"
and Obama's saying the former first lady would "do anything" to be elected.
The ads stayed up only briefly.
Obama Seeks Win in S.C. to Reinforce Co-Frontrunner Status
Friday, January 25, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Voters headed to the polls on Saturday as South Carolina
kicked off its Democratic primary, in which race remained a persistent
subtext as Barack Obama found himself going up against two Clintons.
South Carolina became a "must win" state for Obama, whose victory in the
Iowa caucuses Jan. 3 began to fade after he lost contests in Nevada and New
Hampshire to Hillary Rodham Clinton. A win here on Saturday could help
reinforce Obama's co-frontrunner status with Clinton, while a loss would
severely imperil his candidacy.
Polls showed Obama favored to win the state in large part due to his strong
support among black voters, who are expected to comprise more than 50
percent of the electorate. The Illinois senator is running to be the first
black president.
The state Democratic Party chairwoman, Carol Fowler, predicted a record
turnout.
Obama has made a direct appeal to blacks here after rarely mentioning race
throughout the campaign. He'll continue that strategy going forward, making
trips to Georgia and Alabama later this weekend. Both states hold primaries
on the multistate "Mega Tuesday" contest Feb. 5 and feature a significant
number of black voters.
For her part, Clinton was already looking ahead to Feb. 5 even as the South
Carolina primary loomed. She campaigned in California, Arizona and New
Jersey early in the week before returning to South Carolina on Thursday. She
was headed to Tennessee after the polls close here Saturday.
With his wife's attention directed elsewhere, Bill Clinton stepped into a
starring role in South Carolina - aggressively challenging Obama's record
while scolding the media for what the former president said was unfair
coverage of the contest.
Widely popular among black voters, Bill Clinton complained that reporters
cared too much about the racial aspect of the campaign even as he predicted
Obama would win here because of his race.
His high-profile role left Obama to complain that he didn't know which
Clinton he was running against.
John Edwards, who has pinned his fading hopes on his native South Carolina,
campaigned actively in the state throughout the week. The former North
Carolina senator won the state's primary in 2004, but polls showed him
running a distant third to Obama and Clinton.
The run-up to the primary was noteworthy for its nasty tone - from a
rancorous televised debate early in the week to the first negative ads of
the campaign.
Clinton and Obama clashed bitterly in a televised forum Monday in Myrtle
Beach, chiding one another on issues of character and trustworthiness.
Edwards tried to rise above the rancor while pleading for equal air time.
The two leading candidates also squared off in a pair of radio ads - Clinton's
challenging Obama's claim that Republicans were once "the party of ideas,"
and Obama's saying the former first lady would "do anything" to be elected.
The ads stayed up only briefly.
