COLUMBIA - Democrats headed to their annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner fundraiser Friday night to listen to Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack give a keynote speech and chat with their three gubernatorial candidates in the June 13 primary.

As they gathered, the oil was heating at the annual Fish Fry Dinner that U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., puts on as a low-budget alternative to the $100-a-plate to $10,000-a-table party fundraiser that's drawing more than 700 people.

The Jefferson-Jackson Dinner also gives the crowd a chance to meet gubernatorial candidates Aiken County Sen. Tommy Moore and Florence Mayor Frank Willis. The third candidate in the June primary, Columbia lawyer Dennis Aughtry, wasn't expected to be at the dinner.

People will also be giving Mr. Vilsack a good look as he makes the rounds of early primary states and makes up his mind about making a 2008 presidential bid. He isn't the only Democrat coming to South Carolina, which wants to hold on to its first-in-the-South presidential primary.

U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware has been to the state already and returns Monday as the lead speaker at the Galivants Ferry Stump in Horry County.

Mr. Vilsack told reporters before his speech that he knows plenty of people in South Carolina haven't heard of him.

"The reality is I'm not a famous guy and I'm not a wealthy guy. Some people are trying to figure out whether Vilsack is a laxative or a pickle, much less a governor," he said. "So I've got a lot of work to get folks to know me and get comfortable with me."

He said he is coming to help get a Democratic governor elected, not to lay the groundwork for a 2008 presidential bid.

But he is making all the right moves for a potential bid: raising money in early or key primary states for state parties and candidates and hiring a key adviser for his Heartland PAC, which helps Democratic campaigns and is a vehicle for exploring a White House bid.

He's also been spending time overseas to build depth in foreign policy.