Joe Erwin, who has headed the party for the last two years, said the idea of reaching out also applies more broadly. State Democrats as a whole need to appeal to more than just the party faithful in order to win, he said Thursday in announcing his bid for a second term as party chairman.

Erwin, the president of a marketing and advertising firm in Greenville, said he prefers a friendly approach to winning over voters.

"Sometimes when we yell and we just bash the opposition ... they just tune us out," he said, speaking to a group of Democrats at the High Cotton restaurant downtown.

At the same time, the party has to stand firm on significant issues, said Erwin, citing opposition to Gov. Mark Sanford's plan to provide tax credits for private school education.

"Doesn't it ring of 'separate but equal'?" he asked of Sanford's plan.

Erwin, 48, said the party is in the middle of a grassroots rebuilding effort. That said, state Democrats have had some successes recently, including holding the first-in-the-South presidential primary last year, he said.

He also noted that the party picked up one seat each in the state House and Senate last fall, despite President Bush's commanding margin in the state.

So far, no one else has announced plans to seek the post, said Waring Howe Jr., a local Democrat who supports Erwin.

Howe said Erwin has worked hard in a state that is not exactly a Democratic stronghold.

"This is a thankless, tough job," Howe said. "It's a tough state, and he's taken on these challenges and has not run away."

State Democrats will decide on the office at their convention in April.