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Clinton, Obama make last dash in South Carolina

BY MARTIN C. EVANS | martin.evans@newsday.com

January 26, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. - On the last day before their showdown in the South Carolina primary, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama took their pitches to college campuses Friday to urge voters not to forget them when polls open Saturday.

Clinton brought black political heavyweights Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel and former New York Mayor David Dinkins here, where they delivered a simple message to black voters: It's OK to vote for Hillary.

"Some people have asked me do I feel awkward supporting the senator when her opponent is of color," Rangel said at the historically black Benedict College. "I really have to think in terms as to what is good for my family, my community, my city, my state and my great country."

Obama made a stop at Clemson University, and both candidates dispatched their spouses to campaign in other parts of the state.

With a win, Clinton could deliver a crushing blow to the insurgent bid by Obama to become the first African-American president. That is because South Carolina, where black voters make up about half of Democrats, is considered particularly suitable to Obama's bid.

A loss to Obama would show Clinton as a two-time loser in the four early nomination contests, giving him momentum as the candidates head toward the pivotal Feb. 5 Super Duper Tuesday contests in 22 states.

Polling that showed Obama with a wide lead just one week ago has tightened since he and Clinton tangled during Monday's debate in Myrtle Beach.

Clemson University political scientist Bruce Ransom said Obama holds a 27 percent to 20 percent lead over Clinton in the university's poll, with John Edwards at 17 percent.

But Ransom said nearly 40 percent of those polled did not indicate a choice, suggesting the contest is still up for grabs.

Whether it was part of their effort to lower expectations in South Carolina -- to diminish the impact of a possible Obama win -- Clinton aides have painted a pessimistic picture of her chances. Several backers told Newsday in recent days they are worried she could drop to third place behind Edwards, who was born in the state.

Clinton, on CBS's "Early Show" Friday, struck a conciliatory note after a week of bitter campaigning in which Bill Clinton took the lead in attacking Obama. "He said several times yesterday that maybe he got a little carried away," Clinton said of her husband. With Clinton taking the lion's share of endorsements, Obama has resorted to an "insurgent" campaign that borrows from his experience as a community organizer.

His people have recruited barber shops and beauty salons to register voters, distribute literature and talk up his candidacy.

At Marsharelle's Barber Shop in Bamberg, Dennis McCaskell, 27, stopped for a haircut and emerged with blue Obama '08 placards."He's gotten me involved," McCaskell said. "When I go tomorrow, I plan to take a carload of people."

Staff writer Glenn Thrush contributed to this story.