Clyburn plays S.C. kingmaker in quest for black vote

By Rick Klein, Globe Staff, 1/26/2004

SANTEE, S.C. -- If there was any doubt as to the importance of black voters in South Carolina's Feb. 3 Democratic presidential primary, witness the courtship of Representative James E. Clyburn.

Clyburn's first choice, House colleague Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, came in a disappointing fourth place in last Monday's Iowa caucuses. Gephardt had not even made his withdrawal official before Clyburn's cellphone started buzzing that night.

Before he went to bed, Clyburn had heard from Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, and retired Army General Wesley K. Clark of Arkansas. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean had a college roommate whom Clyburn had taught in high school call on his behalf, and Dean himself followed up two days later.

All the major Democratic presidential contenders have checked in several times since, with Edwards ringing just about daily. They have been calling for the same reason, even if they do not say it every time: They want Clyburn's endorsement.

"At least this time, we're getting some attention," Clyburn said with a laugh. "We never had a presidential primary before that really matters."

The wooing of Clyburn reflects some stubborn realities of the presidential campaign in South Carolina, which is shaping up to be a critical battleground as the first state in the South -- and the first with a significant minority population -- to cast ballots this primary season.

No one -- including Edwards, who grew up here -- has locked up this crucial state. Despite all the hours candidates have spent at Baptist churches and meeting with community organizers, none of the contenders has found a way to emerge as the consensus choice of black voters.

"The African-American vote will split up, and I couldn't give you a credible guess as to who would get the lion's share," said Don Fowler, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a South Carolina native. "It makes Clyburn the single most-important person in South Carolina in this primary. He does have an organization in place, and he does deliver."

Clyburn is the only black member of South Carolina's congressional delegation, and he is a six-term House member who some say wields the statewide influence of a US senator, particularly among African-American voters.

In a primary where 40 percent to 50 percent of the voter turnout is expected to be black, it is not surprising that Clyburn's endorsement is so coveted. A candidate who receives a disproportionate slice of the black vote could coast in South Carolina on Feb. 3, political observers and analysts say.

Clyburn is waiting to see how the field is reshaped by tomorrow's New Hampshire primary before issuing a new endorsement, if he decides to do so. During an interview with the Globe over lunch at a restaurant in Santee, near his vacation home, Clyburn chose a seat with a clear view of the television, so he could keep up with the latest news from New Hampshire.

While Clyburn is not tipping his hand, he clearly has an affinity for Edwards, whose biography, he said, closely matches Gephardt's humble upbringing and who has South Carolina roots to boot. Clyburn is cool toward Dean, saying the former governor hurt himself among black voters with his comment that he wants to "be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks."

In any event, he said, the presence of the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York in the field will dilute the impact of any endorsements from prominent blacks in South Carolina. Many young voters, in particular, want to vote for the only African-American candidate, though they know he has "no chance of winning," Clyburn said.

"This is their opportunity to express themselves," he said. "I understand it, I appreciate it, and I will not discourage it in any way."

A series of get-out-the-vote rallies are scheduled in black neighborhoods in the days leading up to the primary. African-American pastors say they expect their perennial message of the importance of civic engagement will resonate with more of their congregants this year, given the notice they are drawing from presidential campaigns and the press.

Rick Klein can be reached at [email protected].