COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina Democrats are trying to learn from Republicans how not to polarize the party just before a presidential primary.

After negotiating with the national leadership to get the first-in-the-South primary on Feb. 3, most top elected state Democrats are withholding endorsements in the crowded nine-person field of White House hopefuls to try to maintain some party unity.

"We want all the candidates to be in the state as often as they possibly can because we want all of their volunteers when the campaign is over to remain as Democrats," said U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. "That's why I've been staying out of the presidential stuff because I think we need to use this time to try to heal our party."

Democrats here have more at stake than just pulling off a successful primary. They are trying to regain ground lost to Republicans in statewide and Statehouse races. Now is not the time to divide the party, Clyburn said.

A major rift in the Republican Party emerged during the 2000 presidential race when South Carolina's establishment supported then-Texas Gov. Bush leading up to the state's primary, while then-Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., endorsed Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.

"That caused a lot of divisions in the Republican Party that are just now healing again," said Scott Huffmon, a political scientist at Winthrop University. "We see this reference regularly today: 'This was a McCain man, this was a Bush man.' "

But U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., says he has endorsed U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri.

"I think we have a strong field," Spratt said. "My decision was made mainly on the basis that I've worked with Gephardt 20 years in the House. And building on that relationship, I thought it was only natural that I gave him my support in the race here."

Spratt said he sees Clyburn's point, but thinks Democrats can generate enough interest in the primary to boost the party's future.

"I think it helped the Republicans last time. They had a wide-open primary and a white-hot contest between John McCain and George Bush," Spratt said. "This time I hope it will help Democrats."

State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum, one of only two statewide Democrats to hold her seat in the last election, also plans to withhold her support until after the South Carolina primary. She agreed with Clyburn that early endorsements can be divisive.

State Treasurer Grady Patterson says he's still waiting to learn more about the White House hopefuls before he lends his support to a candidate. And U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, who recently announced he would retire when his term ends next year, said he is not ready to endorse a candidate.

State leaders had to fight to get their contest lined up behind the traditional Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary in the presidential selection process. The national party rebuffed them until losing the 2000 presidential race, which was attributed partly to writing off Republican-leaning states in the South.

Now that local Democrats got their wish, they have to be careful what they do with it, Winthrop's Huffmon said.

"Anything that creates divisiveness within the Democratic Party, while it would be normally detrimental to any party, is doubly detrimental to the South Carolina Democrats at this junction," Huffmon said. "They really are at a crossroads as to what direction the party is going to take.

"I think they're sensitive to that and that's why they're holding off. The question is will it backfire?"