(Greenville) Jan. 29, 2004 - Thursday could be a crucial day for South Carolina voters preparing to cast ballots in Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary, the first in the South. All the Democratic presidential candidates are expected to take part in a debate Thursday night in Greenville.
WIS will air the Democratic debate, moderated by NBC's Tom Brokaw, live beginning at 7:00pm. South Carolina is one of several states that will hold primaries or caucuses next week.
Already, one candidate is making a risky decision to cut costs. Howard Dean replaced his popular, Internet-savvy campaign manager Wednesday with a Washington insider close to former Vice President Al Gore. Dean says he intends to run a "leaner, meaner" campaign.
Political analyst Larry Sabato, who thinks the shake-up signals trouble, says, "Dean is on a slippery slope to nowhere." The former front-runner in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination has suffered two losses to Senator John Kerry in New Hampshire and Iowa.
North Carolina Senator John Edwards, both in Seneca, says the Palmetto State is key, a place he calls a "must win," something he says he can do, "The South is not George Bush's backyard. It is my backyard, and I will beat George Bush in my backyard!"
Front-runner John Kerry, the Massachusetts senator fresh off wins at Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primary, says he listens to the concerns of what he calls "real people."
On Friday, January 30th, at 11:00am WIS News 10 will air a presidential forum live from the Township in which the candidates will answer questions from South Carolinians .
An American Research Group poll released Monday, before the New Hampshire primary, showed Edwards in the lead in South Carolina with 21 percent. Kerry was at 17 percent, followed by the Rev. Al Sharpton at 15 percent and retired general Wesley Clark at 14 percent. Dean was at nine percent, Joe Lieberman at five percent and Dennis Kucinich was at one percent. Eighteen percent were undecided.
posted 8:35am by Chris Rees
