South Carolina Black Women Key for Dems

Early primary could make or break Obama in battle with Clinton

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 26, 2007 12:39 PM CDT

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South Carolina Black Women Key for Dems — Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.,), right, and State Representative, John Matthewes, left, speak to supporters during a private gathering at, The Cinema, in Orangeburg, S.C., following the first Democratic Presidential Debate at South Carolina State University, in Orangeburg, S.C., on Thursday, April... (Associated Press)

The Jan. 29 Democratic primary in South Carolina might come down to black women, the Los Angeles Times reports. Half of Democratic voters in the state are African American, and most of those are female—40% of whom have yet to pick a horse. That decision may hinge largely on whether gender or race is more important to those voters.

The primary is seen as crucial for Barack Obama, who can stand to lose Iowa and New Hampshire but probably not South Carolina, where voting was scheduled early specifically to give voice to African Americans. While local black men favor Obama—and he's outspent rival Hillary Clinton nearly 3-to-1 there—the decisive demographic also has a soft spot for Clinton’s husband. (More South Carolina stories.)

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