The New York Times-20080127-Obama Carries South Carolina By Wide Margin

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Obama Carries South Carolina By Wide Margin

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Senator Barack Obama won a commanding victory over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, drawing a wide majority of black support and one-quarter of white voters in a contest that sets the stage for a multistate fight for the party's presidential nomination.

In a bitter campaign here infused with discussions of race, Mr. Obama's convincing victory puts him on equal footing with Mrs. Clinton -- with two wins each in early-voting states -- and gives him fresh momentum as the contest plunges into a nationwide battle over the next 10 days.

Former Senator John Edwards, a native of South Carolina who was trying to revive his candidacy, came in third place but vowed to keep his campaign alive, despite failing to win a single state so far.

With 99 percent of the electoral precincts reporting, Mr. Obama had 55 percent of the vote, Mrs. Clinton had 27 percent, and Mr. Edwards had 18 percent.

Tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina, Mr. Obama told a euphoric crowd here after the results came in. After four great contests in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates and the most diverse coalition of Americans we've seen in a long, long time.

Mr. Obama did not mention his rivals by name, but alluded to his challenges ahead. We are up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together, he said. As the crowd cheered, he added: It's the kind of partisanship where you're not even allowed to say that a Republican had an idea -- even if it's one you never agreed with. That kind of politics is bad for our party, it's bad for our country.

Shortly after the polls closed, Mrs. Clinton flew to Tennessee to hold a campaign rally as she looked ahead to the next round of contests. Her concession came in the form of a brief statement: We now turn our attention to the millions of Americans who will make their voices heard in Florida and the 22 states, as well as American Samoa, who will vote on Feb. 5.

The candidates are now taking their campaigns to states like California and New York for contests that hold vast numbers of delegates and will test their already strained budgets. But Mrs. Clinton's statement suggests that her hopes also rest partly on Florida, which holds its primary Tuesday. The state has been stripped of its delegates because the vote is being held earlier than party rules allow, and the Democrats are not campaigning there.

As Mr. Obama's supporters gathered in a downtown convention center here and Mrs. Clinton was on the plane to Tennessee, former President Bill Clinton gave what amounted to the campaign's concession speech, a reflection of how he emerged as the proxy candidate as his wife campaigned in other states. In that address, at a rally in Missouri, he said of Mr. Obama: Hillary congratulated him, and I congratulate him. Now we go to Feb. 5, when millions of Americans can finally get into the act.

Mr. Edwards's third-place finish raised new questions about the future of his candidacy. While he says he is intent on carrying on, he campaigned heavily in South Carolina and won this state in 2004. His failure to draw more support here raises questions about his long-term ability to capture votes among those thought to be his base. But he could play the role of delegate-collecting spoiler in the fight between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton.

South Carolina was selected by Democratic leaders to hold one of the opening contests in the nominating season to add racial and geographic diversity to the traditional opening states of Iowa and New Hampshire. With 45 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, split by Congressional district, it is the biggest prize so far. The South Carolina Democratic Party estimated that Mr. Obama would get 25 delegates, Mrs. Clinton would get 12, and Mr. Edwards would get 8.

The voting took place at the conclusion of a weeklong campaign, where issues were interwoven with discussions of race. A poignant reminder of South Carolina's historic racial divide, the Confederate flag, swayed in the cool breeze on Saturday only a few yards from where supporters waved placards for Mr. Obama, who if elected would become the nation's first black president.

I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina, Mr. Obama said, speaking to a diverse crowd of supporters. I saw South Carolina.

Turnout on Saturday was estimated at a record 530,000 people, nearly 100,000 more than in the Republican primary a week ago. More than half of the Democratic voters were African-American, and surveys of voters leaving the polls suggested that their heavy turnout helped propel Mr. Obama to victory.

Mr. Obama, who built an extensive grass-roots network across the state over the last year, received the support of about 80 percent of black voters, the exit polls showed. He also received about one-quarter of the white vote, with Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Edwards splitting the remainder.

In particular, Mr. Obama was helped by strong support from black women, who made up 35 percent of the voters. Mrs. Clinton, with the help of her husband, had competed vigorously for black women voters, but Mr. Obama received about 80 percent of their support, according to the exit polls, conducted by Edison/Mitofsky for the National Election Pool of television networks and The Associated Press.

A heightened anxiety about the nation's economy was at the center of the primary fight here. More than half the voters said it was the most important issue facing the country, overtaking health care or the war in Iraq.

This election is about the past versus the future, Mr. Obama said at his victory rally in a stark portrayal of his political challenge. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today, or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation -- a shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.

With victories in New Hampshire and Nevada for Mrs. Clinton and in Iowa and South Carolina for Mr. Obama, it appeared increasingly likely that the party's presidential nominating fight could extend well beyond Feb. 5. Even before the ballots were counted on Saturday evening, campaign workers were being dispatched to new assignments in points across the country.

Here in South Carolina, Mrs. Clinton was supported by about 3 in 10 women over all, the exit polls showed, hampering a candidacy that is depending on female support to win states. She received support from 4 in 10 white women and 2 in 10 black women. She had competed aggressively for their vote, particularly African-Americans to offset Mr. Obama's advantages.

White voters under the age of 40 divided their support, with almost 40 percent for Mr. Obama, and about 3 in 10 each for Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Clinton. Almost 80 percent of blacks under the age of 40 voted for Mr. Obama.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Edwards divided white voters age 40 and older equally, with about 40 percent each, according to exit polls. Among older blacks, 80 percent supported Mr. Obama.

The South Carolina primary was the first contest of the year in which race rose to the forefront. While Mr. Obama seldom directly mentioned the historic nature of his candidacy, it was not lost on the thousands of voters who turned out to see him in all regions of the state.

[Illustration]PHOTOS: Senator Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, celebrated with supporters Saturday at the convention center in Columbia, S.C. (PHOTOGRAPH BY JIM WILSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES)(pg. 1); Senator Barack Obama greeted supporters at a post-primary rally in Columbia, S.C., while Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton attended a rally at Tennessee State University. (PHOTOGRAPH BY TODD HEISLER/THE NEW YORK TIMES)(PHOTOGRAPH BY DAMON WINTER/THE NEW YORK TIMES)(pg. 21)CHART: The Voters The charts shows the breakdown of the votes by the South Carolina Democrats. (pg. 21)