The South Carolina Democratic primary, due to be held on Saturday, is the first in which race matters. The first states to vote in the year-long battle to choose the party’s presidential candidate were the overwhelmingly white (and rural) Iowa and New Hampshire. But nearly 30% of South Carolina’s voters are African-American.

It’s going to be a difficult choice for Black voters. Barack Obama is of course seen as the first serious Black candidate for the presidency. Hillary Clinton, like her husband, is well liked and respected among African Americans — and President Clinton was famously called the nation’s “first Black president” as a tribute to that closeness.
Race has therefore, not surprisingly, come up repeatedly in recent days. Some in the Obama campaign have alleged that Clinton supporters have used coded racist language against their candidate — such as repeatedly mentioning Obama’s admitted use of cocaine. But the tensions came to the surface when Clinton seemed to make the argument that President Lyndon Johnson was more important to the cause of civil rights than Martin Luther King. This infuriated African Americans, and not only them.
The senior Black Democratic politician in the state, Representative James Clyburn, has stayed above the fray, refusing to endorse any of the candidates. He did, however, criticize Clinton for her remarks, calling them an affront to “those activists who put those issues on the table.”
The comment was more likely an indication of Clinton’s insularity, and her Washington-centered view of politics.
The mainstream media whipped up a firestorm around Clinton’s comments and what are seen as growing tensions between the two leading candidates. But they have also missed a key part of the story, which brings us to John Edwards.
In 2004 Edwards, who was born in South Carolina, won the state’s primary with 45% of the vote. As recently as a few months ago, polls showed him in the lead in this state, but the rise of the two celebrity candidates who have spent tens of millions of dollars between them has put his campaign into the shade.
Edwards has chosen to focus on class rather than race, though he more than any other candidate has highlighted the continuing inequality and injustice which African Americans suffer. And because of his focus on these issues, and in particular his commitment to ending poverty, he this week received a strong letter of support from Martin Luther King’s eldest son. King publicly urged Edwards to continue in the race despite a poor performance in the Nevada caucus last week.
Whoever wins on Saturday, the South Carolina primary has focussed attention once again on issues of race and class — issues which will not go away anytime soon.