Here in the heart of this majority black county, African-American voters are struggling with their choices in the Democratic presidential primary just three weeks away.
There is no clear favorite.
Support appears to be evenly divided among four of the top tier candidates — former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Missouri congressman Dick Gephardt, U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark.
While two black candidates are in the race — New York civil rights activist Al Sharpton and former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun — hardly anyone expects them to dominate the African-American vote.
Black voters interviewed by The State say they don’t have the luxury of voting for either this time.
The desire to pick a candidate who can beat President Bush is so strong that little consideration is being paid to Sharpton or Moseley Braun.
"I’d like to see a black president someday,” said Sabrina Gandy, a 26-year-old South Carolina State University senior from Estill. “But right now, I want the best person in that office.”
She is trying to decide between Dean and Gephardt. She said she liked Dean’s stance against the Iraq war and was impressed with Gephardt’s proposal to protect American jobs.
These findings and comments were drawn from interviews with dozens of black voters, most of whom are deeply disturbed about the country’s direction under President Bush. They worry about the lack of jobs, rising health care costs, and how well their children are learning to read and write.
A poll of S.C. voters taken in late December showed Dean leading with 16 percent. Sharpton and Wesley Clark were tied for second at 12 percent. Moseley Braun was at 3 percent. Twenty-nine percent were undecided.
African-American support for Bush has always been low in South Carolina. Anger toward him runs deep. There is concern over the war in Iraq and anguish over economic fortunes at home.
Three Orangeburg sons have died in Iraq.
"We need to get out of that war,” said Lucille Kennedy, a 50-year-old cook.
She mentioned the recent death of Capt. Kimberly Hampton, 27, of Easley, who was both the first American female pilot and the first female soldier from South Carolina to die during the Iraq conflict.
"It broke my heart to see such a pretty girl lose her life over there,” Kennedy said.
She is trying to decide between Dean and Edwards. She said she liked their stances on jobs.
The black vote is going to be crucial in this race. African-Americans are expected to make up half or more of the vote in the South Carolina primary, the first with a large black electorate.
The Democratic candidate who does best with black voters nationwide will likely be the nominee in 2004.
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