COLUMBIA - Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean has hired a state campaign director and plans to open offices in Columbia.

Dean spokesman Don Jones said the campaign will open a Columbia office within the week and will hire eight staffers. The campaign also will open a Charleston office by next month.

State Democratic Party leaders were pleased with the news, as the former Vermont governor has made only one public visit to South Carolina since the Democrats' first nationally televised debate May 3.

"It shows they're interested in competing in our primary," state party executive director Nu Wexler said.

Recent state polls show Dean in the middle of the pack, usually polling in the single digits.

Jones said the Dean campaign waited to open an office in the state because it wanted to line up the right people and locations.

"Even though we were the last to open, if you give us a call by Christmas, we will be the best-organized down here ... because we waited to do it correctly," Jones said.

S.C. Democrats have had a rocky relationship with the Dean campaign.

All the other major campaigns have opened offices, hired professional campaign workers and begun building state organizations.