Florence Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham touted his economic plan Thursday in the job-hungry Pee Dee, where unemployment is 13.6 percent, twice the state and national average.

Graham spent an hour at the Weed and Seed Center in the northern part of town, meeting with 40 community leaders. The center is the hub of a federally backed project in which activists try to take back public housing and rotting crack houses from drugs and decay.

Graham chose to spend time in Florence and the Pee Dee region, which have lost textile jobs one after another, with manufacturing giants such as Sara Lee and La-Z-Boy going where labor is cheaper.

Little has come to take their place, especially in places like neighboring Marlboro County, where unemployment for July was 21.3 percent.

"It's hard to imagine how a community could survive, if one in five of its people is out of work," Graham said.

Graham, a U.S. senator from Florida since 1986, stood in front of the center's red, white and blue boxing ring and took questions about his plan: What kind of jobs would it create? How soon?

The plan would repeal much of President Bush's tax cut, he said.

In its place, Graham would eliminate income taxes on the first $10,000 of wages, a boon to low- and middle-income people. It also would maintain the tax credit of $1,000 per child and provide more money for college and technical school scholarships.

Walker Solomon pushed Graham on trade.

"Jobs are lost because it's cheaper to do them outside the country," said Solomon, director of the county's Department of Social Services. "What is your plan for maintaining these jobs here?"

Graham said he would push for international standards on pay, human rights and environmental regulations, so keeping a business here would be more competitive.

As for the Pee Dee itself, he said the economy would dictate what types of jobs would take the place of textiles.

Graham is one of nine Democrats seeking the presidential nomination.

The Rev. Al Sharpton was scheduled to visit the state's Voter Education Project on Thursday, but his plane broke down. Backers of U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., opened Kerry's state campaign office in downtown Columbia on Thursday evening.

So far, Graham has hired six S.C. staffers, believed to be the largest state staff among the candidates.

Still, he is battling low name recognition -- some guests at Thursday's event were scouring brochures for his picture so they would recognize him when he came in.

He is also battling public perception, first, that he should not be running -- the Orlando Sentinel Thursday urged him to drop out -- and second, that he is actually seeking the vice presidential nomination.

Graham, 66, says he is running hard for president and will continue to run.

He intends to spend much more time in South Carolina, with its first-in-the-South Feb. 3 primary. He also pledged to spend time here before the general election, in spite of Bush's having carried the state by 57 percent in 2000, one of the largest margins in the nation.

"If you have a candidate who understands the values, the family orientation of this place, then you can be successful," he said.