Democrats Turn Attention To South Carolina Contest

[DeepModem Mom]

WSJ: Democrats Turn Attention To South Carolina Contest
By AMY CHOZICK
January 21, 2008


Sen. Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event in Columbia, S.C., Sunday. (AP)

NEW YORK -- With the dogfight in Nevada behind them, Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama prepared to battle it out in South Carolina while spreading their efforts to the nearly two dozen states that will hold primaries on Feb. 5....All three candidates will be in South Carolina Monday for campaign stops and an evening debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., held by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute....

The question remains whether Mrs. Clinton can carry the momentum of her wins in New Hampshire and Nevada into South Carolina, which holds its Democratic primary on Jan. 26. Mr. Obama strongly defeated Mrs. Clinton in Iowa on Jan. 3 and currently leads in South Carolina with 46% of votes compared to 36% for Mrs. Clinton and 15% for Mr. Edwards, according to a poll conducted by SurveyUSA. The state is the last Democratic contest before 22 states vote on Feb. 5 or "Super Tuesday" when over half of all the pledged national convention delegates will be awarded....

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The Nevada results largely reflect the key demographic realities that both candidates will face in the coming primary contests in South Carolina and beyond. Exit polls showed 65% of Hispanic voters backed Mrs. Clinton, while 83% of the state's African-American voters supported Mr. Obama. That trend is likely to work in Mr. Obama's favor in the South Carolina contest, in which half of all registered Democrats are African-American, as well as in other Southern states. At the same time, Mrs. Clinton's strong support from Hispanics could bode well her in heavily Latino Feb. 5 states such as California.

Sunday in Harlem, Rev. Calvin Butts officially endorsed Mrs. Clinton who received a standing ovation at the 200-year-old black church. Outside Obama supporters held sings and shouted "Harlem for Obama!" drowning out the Clinton supporters....

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...(M)udslinging is expected to continue in South Carolina and beyond. In a radio ad airing across the state, basketball legend and Clinton supporter Earvin "Magic" Johnson compares himself as an NBA newcomer to Mr. Obama's limited time in the U.S. Senate. "Take it easy, rookie," Mr. Johnson says in the ad. In his speech in Atlanta Mr. Obama took a less than subtle dig at Mrs. Clinton's voting record on the Iraq war. "We have an empathy deficit," he said to a mostly African-American congregation Sunday. "We have a deficit…when young Americans serve tour after tour after tour of duty in a war that should've never been authorized and should've never been waged."...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120086106190003723.html