SC Expects Record Turnout

Intense race may make Dems more competitive in general election here

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 26, 2008 11:44 AM CST

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SC Expects Record Turnout — George Palmer, left, and Joetta Palmer, right, along with their 4 year-old twin children, Justin, center left, and Jasmine, center right, turn out to cast their vote in the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary at Burke High School in Charleston, S.C., on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Alice... (Associated Press)

Democratic officials are expecting record voter turnout for today’s South Carolina primary because of sunny skies and appealing candidates, the State says. But make no mistake: Dems don’t expect to win the Palmetto State come November. No Democrat has won a Southern state since Bill Clinton in 1996, although party officials hope this year’s race spurs people to the polls and makes the general election more competitive.

“The excitement has been a huge gain for the party,” said Joe Werner, the Dem’s SC chief. Republicans, meanwhile, saw turnout fall about 22% in last week’s primary compared to 2000. The GOP’s SC chairman explained, “The intensity was not here.” It’s a trend Dems hope to exploit: “We’re a little ways away from becoming a blue state,” Werner predicted. (More South Carolina primary stories.)

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