MYRTLE BEACH — When Jim Clyburn was a rookie congressman in 1992, then-House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt helped him become president of the 94-member freshman class.

Six years later, Gephardt cleared the way for Clyburn’s seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, a position that has funneled millions of federal dollars into the state, particularly the Pee Dee.

“I knew he was a real leader and would always be a real leader,” Gephardt said during a swing through the Grand Strand on Wednesday. “We see things alike on trade, on jobs, on education, on health care. I think he’s an impressive man.”

Now, it’s payback time. Clyburn endorsed Gephardt for the state’s first-in-the-South Democratic primary and will head to Michigan and Iowa this weekend to stump for the Missouri Democrat.

“I would be one ungrateful SOB if I didn’t recognize the importance of that help, not just to me, but to the whole state of South Carolina,” Clyburn said.

The national media has pegged the 63-year-old Clyburn as a kingmaker in the Feb. 3 primary, where African-Americans are expected to make up 40 to 50 percent of those voting. But some experts question his influence over black voters statewide.

“The black vote is still splintered. Several candidates have demonstrated the ability to pull,” said Bruce Ransom, a political scientist at Clemson University. “I think several candidates are perched to get a good slice of the black vote.”

For 53-year-old Jerome Bryant of Georgetown, an unemployed African-American steelworker, Clyburn’s endorsement means “nothing.”

“I vote the man. I look at what a person does, not at somebody else’s opinion of them.”

Gephardt registered only in single digits in the Dec. 22 American Research Group Inc. poll, tied for fifth and trailing the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was the front-runner, drawing 16 percent in the poll. Sharpton and retired Gen. Wesley Clark logged 12 percent each.

But about 30 percent of Democrats in the state are undecided. Gephardt hopes Clyburn’s endorsement can at least pull him close to the leaders.

“He’s a validator for people here,” Gephardt said. “A lot of the voters don’t know a lot about any of the candidates. So I think they will listen to people more than you would normally. I’m very grateful for his endorsement. It’s very meaningful and important.”

While Clyburn and Gephardt worked voters in the Grand Strand, Sen. John Edwards stumped for votes in the Upstate.

Edwards told an audience of about 100 supporters and community leaders on Wednesday he’ll restore jobs to the area if elected president.

But first, he’ll need support in the primaries — something even his supporters in the Spartanburg Technical College audience said he’ll have a tough time garnering in the Feb. 3 S.C. primary.

In South Carolina, “he’s not as well known as I think he should be,” said Deborah Stevenson Gideon, a retired schoolteacher who traveled with friends from Edwards’ hometown of Seneca to show support.

“A lot of people in Seneca don’t even know who John Edwards is,” Gideon said, “but (he’ll win) South Carolina.”

Edwards considers South Carolina a must-win state for his campaign.

A running theme in Edwards’ speech was job losses in the state. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show that manufacturing employment in South Carolina has declined by 58,000 since January 2001. That’s the highest loss of manufacturing jobs per capita of any state since President Bush took office.

“I have laid out the most specific ideas on how to protect jobs and create jobs,” Edwards said, adding that he would provide tax incentives and seed money to business that stay in the U.S. and do not send jobs overseas.

Edwards’ visit was one of only a few opportunities during this campaign that residents of the Upstate have had to see a Democratic presidential candidate in the flesh. The reason: even though it’s the state’s most heavily-populated region, it’s also the most solidly Republican.

Reach Wilkinson at (803) 771-8495 or jwilkinson@thestate.comThe Charlotte Observer contributed to the report.