Obama, Clinton woo black voters in South Carolina

The front lines in next week's Democratic primary battle run through Options hair salon in downtown Orangeburg, S.C..

Michelle Obama, trailed by a gaggle of reporters and cameras, stopped by recently to campaign for her husband, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York also made their pitch amid the whir of blow dryers.

It's part of an aggressive effort by both candidates to reach African Americans, who are expected to make up half the vote in the Jan. 26 primary. South Carolina offers Democrats their most diverse test yet and could serve as a springboard to the 24 nominating contests on Feb. 5.

Sunday morning, Clinton speaks at a black church in Columbia, S.C.. Obama stumped Thursday in Charleston, S.C..

Recent polls have shown him with double-digit leads over Clinton among African Americans in the state. Interviews with 30 black voters in Orangeburg and Charleston found strong support for both candidates, with many still trying to choose between them.

Obama supporters say they like the excitement he brings as the first black candidate with a real chance to win. Clinton backers like her experience - and the prospect of getting former President Bill Clinton back in the White House.

Obama's win in the mostly white Iowa caucuses energized supporters such as Allen Holmes, a 40-year-old barber at Options.

"That told me there's a change already," Holmes said as he clipped a customer's hair. "I'm surprised about Americans changing their mindset about black America."

A few blocks away, at the Afro-D-Siac salon, owner Vondella Smith is leaning toward Clinton.

"I would like to see a female (president) and I would like to see a black male," said Smith, 30. "But you also have to consider who's best for the country."

Support for Obama and Clinton comes at the expense of former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. The S.C. native won the 2004 primary with strong black support. This year, despite the backing of several prominent African Americans, he's trailed in polls. None of the 30 interviewed for this story plan to vote for him.

"He's competing against two rock stars in the Democratic Party," said Adolphus Belk, a political scientist at Winthrop University. "And that makes it hard."

Obama's campaign has targeted salons and barber shops that cater to African Americans, even distributing DVDs and posters of the candidate sitting in a barber chair.

At Blade's in east Charleston, barber Alonzo Hamilton, 37, didn't need much convincing.

"I'm not too comfortable with Hillary," he said. "I don't really trust (her)."

At her tiny salon down the street, stylist Roberta Lancaster, 59, rubbed relaxer into a customer's hair. She supported Clinton, but now leans to Obama. "I'm listening to him a lot more," she told a visitor.

But Charleston tile setter Frank Porter, 67, expects to vote for Clinton.

"I think she'd be a good president because her husband is a good one," he said.

Belk, who polled black voters last fall, said many might be tempted to recall the relative prosperity of the Clinton years as the nation slides toward recession.

"Some people might be thinking if the Clintons were able to pull this off once, they'll be able to do it again," he said.

Not William Williams, 45.

"People are hoping Hillary will bring back Bill and we'll get back into the Clinton era," he said. "I think we're selling ourselves a dream. We're not going to be able to go back in time."

On a playground across from a public housing project, Williams, Charleston's recreation coordinator, watched kids shoot baskets. The balls soared toward rusted backboards with no nets. Though undecided, he said he'll probably vote for Obama.