Heading to our state

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The nation's attention soon will turn to South Carolina when a smaller-than-expected pack of Democratic candidates heads into this state to boost their chances of winning their party's presidential primary. The surprise results from Iowa's caucuses on Tuesday night have shifted the rankings in the Democratic field.

Only seven Democrats are now standing. Two of them — Carol Moseley-Braun and Dick Gephardt — realized their campaigns were going nowhere. All of this — the Iowa surprises, the reduced field of candidates, the diversity of South Carolina's voters — ensures our state will play a significant role in helping pick the Democratic candidate for president. And this: The Jan. 29 Democratic debate at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts will give the candidates a stage for sharpening their differences at a time when national attention on the race is growing.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry was the surprise winner in Iowa, and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards came in a strong second. A disappointing third-place finish left Vermont Gov. Howard Dean trying to regain his momentum. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and retired Gen. Wesley Clark sat out the Iowa caucuses, and the Rev. Al Sharpton and Ohio Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich have yet to make a showing.

Regardless of who wins the South Carolina primary, a clear winner will be the state party. Under the leadership of Greenville advertising executive Joe Erwin, the party has become energized, raised $123,000 more than the $500,000 goal for staging the state race and has attracted more than 5,000 volunteers to work at the polls. This shows there's life in the state party that was on the ropes after the 2002 election, and that is good for competitive politics in our state.