COLUMBIA - When Republicans took control of both chambers of the S.C. State House and the governor's mansion in January, African American legislators found themselves in what some say is their toughest bargaining position since making gains in civil rights battles.

In the November election, Republicans swept statewide offices and gained two seats in the S.C. House. The number of blacks in the House stayed the same.

Conventional wisdom holds that under Republican rule, black legislators won't be able to get anything done -- and some white Democrats say that's true.

But black and Republican lawmakers say the combination of a new governor and a common agenda could bring the two groups together like never before.

Legislative black caucus members say newly elected Republican Gov. Mark Sanford and others in the GOP have proven in recent years to be more open to black legislators than white Democrats have been.

"(GOP control) will not impact my legislative agenda, and in some ways, it may help it," said Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland.

Among the issues they hope to find common ground on are health care for the poor, use of lottery profits to help poor schools, a crackdown on predatory lending and efforts to decrease domestic violence.

In the first week of the legislative session, Jackson and Sen. Glenn McConnell, a Republican from Charleston, co-sponsored a bill to fund historically black colleges with lottery proceeds.

If the two groups build a coalition, it would mean a radical change in politics in South Carolina, where whites identify heavily with the Republican Party and blacks usually vote Democratic.

White and black Democrats have not always agreed, but blacks historically have found more friends among Democrats than among Republicans, analysts said.

With dramatic Republican gains, "you've reached a point in the last 10 years where blacks are finding themselves with dwindling power," said Bill Moore, a College of Charleston political scientist.

Members of the black caucus say relations with the GOP aren't as bad as analysts say. Many said they have become frustrated with the white Democratic leadership. "White Democrats were not always allies of black Democrats," Jackson said.

When Gov. Jim Hodges and several other prominent white Democrats were defeated in November, black leaders blasted Hodges' campaign for taking their votes for granted and not doing enough to win black support.

Meanwhile, S.C. Republicans -- like Republicans nationally -- have tried to woo blacks to the party even as they fend off criticism that members are racist.

Sanford made several attempts to reach out to blacks during his campaign, appearing at the longshoremen's union picnic and an NAACP dinner, among other events. After he was elected, Sanford made a point to name African Americans to his transition team and Cabinet.

Some blacks say they are taking the GOP gestures seriously.

"I think you are seeing the potential for a sea change in how politics in South Carolina works right now," said Rep. Joe Neal, D-Richland, former black caucus chairman. " ... (Sanford) still has not shown us the details of what he is going to do. But the signals have been strong."

Not everyone agrees that a positive change is under way.

Analysts and some Democratic leaders predict the GOP will lock out Democratic legislators, making it very difficult to get anywhere on issues such as affirmative action and rural health care.

"For the first time ... in modern history, the state is under one-party (Republican) control," said Kevin Geddings, Hodges' strategist. "I'll be shocked if African American Democrats or white Democrats have much clout."

Race has always been a fundamental part of S.C. politics. South Carolina is about 30 percent black, and analysts estimate 35 percent of the state votes Democratic. Democrats draw about 90 percent of the black vote, while Republicans typically get about 70 percent of the white vote.

White Democratic leaders are skeptical that Republican leadership will lead to good things for blacks. Republicans have supported tax cuts for the wealthy and blocked increased funding for health care and schools -- issues that resonate with blacks, who still are proportionally more working class and poor, they said.

Blacks voting for Republicans is like "the chicken voting for Col. Sanders," said S.C. Democratic Chairman Dick Harpootlian.

Party leaders say the Republicans' track record of working with blacks isn't good.

They argue Republicans took advantage of blacks while working together on reapportionment in the 1980s and 1990s by drawing some legislative districts where blacks had a good chance of election but many more where white Republicans had a good chance.

The alliance resulted in white Democrats' losing seats and a legislature dominated by white Republicans with a minority of black Democrats.

Because Republicans made huge gains, elected blacks have no power, party leaders say.

"We've re-segregated our legislature," Harpootlian said. "The African American presence in our legislature is symbolic."

Bruce Ransom, a Clemson University political scientist who is black, said black leaders should consider what is more important -- making progress on policy or putting more blacks in the legislature. Blacks tend to be further to the left than white Democrats, and it's harder to get Republicans to compromise with blacks.

If districts were drawn so more Democrats could get elected, it might reduce the number of blacks in the legislature but improve policy decisions, he said.

"I think there's some real soul-searching that needs to be done," he said.

But black legislators say Republicans will still need their votes on issues that are important to people of all races. And they expect to negotiate on other issues that are important to them.

The legislature has "no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests," Neal said.