Party leaders also are busy setting up the Feb. 3 primary election itself, a responsibility that falls to political parties in South Carolina.
Both efforts are challenging in a county where Republicans outnumber Democrats, party activists say.
GOP dominance in the Lowcountry was evident in the past two presidential election results. Republican Sen. Bob Dole took 53 percent of the vote in 1996, while 41 percent of voters cast their ballots for Democratic President Bill Clinton.
The 2000 election brought even stronger support for Republicans, with 58 percent of voters for George W. Bush and 40 percent for Al Gore. Much of the Democratic vote in those elections came from precincts in northern Beaufort County.
"It is difficult trying to get the candidates into this area because they know they have a bigger constituency in places like Columbia, Charleston and Savannah," said Jerry Bernier, president of the Democratic Club South of the Broad. "But that doesn't mean that we don't keep trying. ... We have a good record down here of turning out a lot of people when they do come. But it's just not on the beaten path."
So far, only candidates Gen. Wesley Clark, Sen. John Edwards and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich have visited Beaufort County seeking support for the Democratic nomination. U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt visited nearby Jasper County in October, and most of the nine presidential hopefuls have made stops elsewhere in South Carolina and in Savannah.
But Bernier expects more of the candidates to turn their focus to all corners of South Carolina after the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19. After the Iowa caucuses -- the first in the nation -- the candidates will look toward voters in South Carolina, whose primary is the third contest in the nation and first in the South and is expected to set the stage for other southern states.
"Once Iowa is over, they'll probably all hit South Carolina," Bernier said. "It'll go from famine to feast."
Still, local Democrats are heading up campaign efforts, with or without the candidates.
Mary Jo Manly is helping coordinate a local campaign for Howard Dean. She and other Dean supporters gather for meetings, dubbed "meet-ups," on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Main Street Diner on Hilton Head to discuss the candidate, the issues and how to spread the message in the community.
The group started in June with eight people and has grown to more than 70, she said.
Despite the GOP strength in Beaufort County, Manly said she has not had trouble finding other supporters for Dean, who is seen as a Washington outsider. In fact, before now, Manly was an Independent. But Dean's ideas have won her over -- as well as other Independents and even some Republicans -- along with Democrats, she said.
"I think more and more people are becoming Independents and becoming more and more discouraged with the current situation of entrenched political parties on both sides," she said. "They're both special interests, for sure."
Manly has scheduled local visits from Dean's state and national headquarters, but she said she does not know if Dean himself will visit Beaufort County.
Carmen Cunningham is helping organize local support for Sen. John Kerry, and 29 people attended a Dec. 26 meeting at her home. Like Manly, Cunningham described those interested in the campaign as independent thinkers, whether self-proclaimed Independents, Democrats or Republicans.
"Some are eager Democrats who have not committed to a candidate," she said. "Some are crossover people who are outraged by George Bush's foreign policy."
Cunningham also did not know whether Kerry would visit Beaufort County.
Joe Bogacz is leading the county's campaign for Clark and so far has found 35 supporters. Bogacz said he has been surprised at the local support, given the Republican environment.
"Power networking is at play here," he said. "Someone knows someone, and after a few calls, you have another supporter on board."
A local group of Kucinich supporters is only about a "handful," said organizer Diane Feinberg. The group also holds monthly "meet-ups," and the next one is Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Atlanta Bread Company in Festival Center.
Feinberg said she thinks the small number of local Kucinich supporters is because the media does not give him as much coverage as other candidates who are perceived to be the front runners.
"I think some people don't know who he is," she said.
Representatives from the Gephardt campaign could not be reached for comment.
While these and other individuals are rallying for particular candidates, the Democratic Party prohibits the local Democratic club from endorsing any one candidate during the primary.
So besides organizing the election itself and rounding up volunteers to man the polls -- an effort leaders say is a massive undertaking -- the Democratic Club South of the Broad is focusing on promoting awareness of the primary and the issues.
Voter turnout at primaries historically is low, said Tom Israel, a past president of the club. And the large pool of candidates is likely to overwhelm some voters, he said.
"I think the fact that we've got nine candidates at the present time confounds the situation," Israel said. "It takes a lot of effort to research what these people stand for so you can go out and vote intelligently."
"A lot of people are having a hard time making up their minds," Bernier said. "Every time a poll comes out, there are about 27, 28, 29 percent undecided."
Indeed, a poll released on Dec. 8 by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press showed 33 of South Carolinians who plan to vote in the Democratic primary are undecided. Of the nine candidates, the Pew survey showed Edwards in first place with 16 percent. Clark trailed with 11 percent, followed by Gephardt with 10 percent and Sen. Joe Lieberman with 9 percent.
To help voters sort out the issues, the Democratic Club is planning a public forum on Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Palmetto Electric Cooperative on Mathews Drive. Representatives from all nine campaigns are invited to discuss their candidates' positions, Bernier said.
Members also are compiling a newsletter outlining each candidate's positions, and the club will be calling Democratic voters to remind them of the primary.
The Democratic Club South of the Broad so far has around 220 volunteers to help with the primary by manning polling centers, Bernier said. The club has about 325 members and a mailing list of 1,700 Democratic voters.