(Columbia) -- North Carolina Senator John Edwards got the win he said he had to have in South Carolina's Democratic presidential
primary Tuesday night.

The Seneca native defeated Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who was coming off wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.

With more than three-fourths of the precincts reporting, Edwards has 45% of the vote. Kerry trailed with 30%. Kerry
says he's happy with his showing in South Carolina, given the little time he spent in the state. Kerry had won the endorsement of
Senator Ernest Hollings and Sixth District Congressman Jim Clyburn.

The Reverend Al Sharpton has ten percent. Sharpton says he's pleased to have more than doubled the vote of Connecticut Senator
Joe Lieberman, who dropped out following a poor showing in the seven states conducting primaries or caucuses today.

(Columbia) -- More than 200,000 people turned out for Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina.

That turnout doubled the old primary record of 114,000 voters in the 1992 Democratic presidential primary.

Turnout is not expected to reach even half of the 565,000 voters who voted in the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina in 2000.

State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin says he's proud of his party's effort to conduct the first-in-the-South primary. South
Carolina is one of only two states where the parties run their own primaries.

State Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson says the turnout shows the Democrats failed to energize most of the state's voters.

Dawson says he thinks the Democrats turnout today is a good indication for Republicans in November.