North Carolina Sen. John Edwards won the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary with the support of blacks and whites who foremost wanted a native Southerner in contention. But they conceded he may not have the best chance of beating George Bush.
Interviews with more than two dozen Edwards voters in the Charleston area, and returns statewide, showed Edwards dominated in every corner of South Carolina, reinforcing the adage "all politics is local."
Edwards' victory in the South bucked the trend from Iowa and New Hampshire, where voters said they chose Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry primarily because he represented the most credible Democratic challenger in the fall.
Edwards dominated the vote in all of South Carolina's six congressional districts and carried Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties with at least 40 percent of the vote.
Exit polls by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International done for the Associated Press showed Edwards received support from blacks, whites, seniors, those with less education and voters who described themselves as moderate or conservative.But he did poorly among those who most valued electability, the greater concern of the Democratic Party nationally.
South Carolina voters like Costa Lempesis of Charleston didn't seem to care. Lempesis said Tuesday that Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman was just as qualified to serve as president as Edwards. But he added, "When you have two candidates that are equally pleasing, you should go with the local guy."
"It's definitely because he is from here," said Mary Christy, who voted for Edwards at Charles Towne Landing.
Campaign officials said Edwards' Southern upbringing gave him strength, allowing him to speak directly about health care, jobs and the economy to families in a language familiar to black, white, rich and poor.
"I was brought home to a mill village in Seneca, South Carolina, to a little two-room house," Edwards said. "My father had to borrow money to get me out of the hospital ... I grew up the way you grew up. I come from the same place."
Supporters said the stories resonated. "I think the remarkable thing is John Edwards won the white vote and the African-American vote. That's almost unheard of in a Democratic primary," said campaign manager John Moylan.
"He was able to reach out across the board," Moylan said. "That was the key to victory. John Edwards connects to people. People believe in him."
Political scientists saw it another way: South Carolinians came out in force for Edwards as a means of blunting the drive of front-runner Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and keeping the selection process alive for at least another week.
"There's been enough coverage that people understood that if Edwards lost in South Carolina, he's out," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato. "He's the alternative, and the other alternatives aren't looking pretty good -- Dean and Clark."
"People understand that when it's over, it's over, and there's no taking it back and redoing it. You're stuck with the nominee you picked, so you better pick the right one," he said.
About 50 percent of Tuesday's turnout was from black voters who said Edwards' speeches about racial healing in the post-segregation South played better than the words of the other candidates. Black voters as a whole in South Carolina were most likely to say they wanted a candidate who stands up for people like them, according to exit polls.
"He understands diversity," said Valerie Gadsden of Charleston.
"It was what he said, that there is two Americas, the haves and the have-nots," said V.L. Towner, who is black and retired from the military.
The theme played well in South Carolina, which is suffering proportionately one of the worst job-loss trends in America.
Often overlooked as a consideration Tuesday was the fact that Edwards, 50, left the state early in his youth and moved to North Carolina, where he gained prominence as a millionaire trial lawyer and a one-term U.S. senator.
Edwards beat Kerry by a 2-to-1 margin among South Carolina voters who said the economy was a top concern and among white voters. He did equally well among black voters. Black voters still recognized that Edwards was local and needed to win in South Carolina for the race to continue.
"This is my home town," said Eunice Lamb of Charleston. "Edwards is from here, and Kerry's got enough votes."
