In an outreach effort, he has made a substantial ad buy on radio stations that target black listeners across the state, appealing to them to support his re-election bid.

Sanford is opposed in the GOP primary by Newberry County physician Oscar Lovelace.

At first blush, one would say it is a waste of money. Black voters are the most loyal constituency of the Democratic Party in South Carolina and, for the most part, aren’t going to vote in a GOP primary.

So, what’s Sanford up to?

With polls showing him winning the primary handily, Sanford has his eyes trained on the November general election.

“Keep in mind, the general election begins (right after the primary),” said Jason Miller, top political aide to the governor.

Sanford has a strong civil rights record, Miller said, and the campaign intends to “aggressively” promote it.

The radio ad says:

• Sanford is the first S.C. governor to issue a formal apology for the Orangeburg Massacre. (His predecessor, Democrat Jim Hodges, said the people of the state “deeply regret” the incident.)

• The governor’s top staff member, Henry White, is black.

• No governor has appointed more blacks to his cabinet.

• Sanford has called for more black judges in S.C. courts.

In his 2002 victory over Hodges, Sanford received about 9 percent of the black vote. He hopes to do better in 2006.

Sanford has raised more than $6 million, according to his last campaign filing. He could spend a small fortune on targeted radio ads alone and still not make a dent in his campaign bank account.

Republicans have been trying to win over black voters since Ronald Reagan was president. Today, GOP candidates win between 10 percent and 12 percent of the black vote, mostly from middle-class blacks, entrepreneurs and businessmen.

“I don’t expect Sanford to do much better than that,” said South Carolina State University political scientist Willie Legette.

Clemson University professor Bruce Ransom sees the radio ad effort as largely symbolic.

“Will it encourage blacks to turn out in large numbers on primary day? I think not.

“For Sanford — in terms of image and image-making — the ad campaign serves a purpose. He can’t be accused of not reaching out. I don’t expect the governor to make significant inroads into the black community.”

Legette suggested a more sinister motive.

By reaching out to blacks, Sanford allays the fears of white moderates who don’t want to be identified with a political party that’s perceived by some as racist, he said.

The radio ad campaign accomplishes that easily.

But Winthrop University analyst Scott Huffmon said Republicans, and Sanford in particular, have a good chance to siphon off some middle-class black voters.

“They are ripe to be plucked,” Huffmon said.

Democrats were quick to criticize Republicans, particularly Sanford, for what they see as an insincere effort to win over black votes.

“If they’re so proud of their efforts to reach out to blacks, why don’t they play the ad on country-western stations?” asked former state Democratic chairman Dick Harpootlian.