COLUMBIA, S.C — . -- The packed late morning service had just concluded at Bible Way Church of Atlas Road, one of the largest black churches in South Carolina. As congregants streamed out of the vast air-conditioned sanctuary, a handful of women stopped to chat about an issue that is tearing them up: the Democratic presidential primary.
The women, who included a hairdresser, a school administrator, an account manager and an Olympic sprinter, said they were struggling to decide between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, each of whose candidacy is potentially historic. Their decision could profoundly effect the Democratic presidential race.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday, September 29, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 30 words Type of Material: Correction
South Carolina voters: An article in Wednesday's Section A about black female Democratic voters in South Carolina identified Gilda Y. Cobb-Hunter as a state senator. She is a state representative.
Besides the appeal of gender and race, when asked what qualities they were drawn to, all of them said they valued Clinton's experience and Obama's sense of hope, causing a struggle between their hearts and their heads.
And if they look to people they respect for clues, which towering cultural figure should they heed? Oprah Winfrey, who has broken with her tradition of eschewing politics to embrace Obama? Or former President Bill Clinton, who visited this very church last spring and is widely revered in the black community?
"I TiVo Oprah every day," said Neshunda Walters, a 33-year-old assistant high school principal. "But right now, I am on the fence, swaying a little bit toward Barack because I do want him to have a good showing in the primaries. I am also swinging towards Hillary because, knowing the experiences she had as first lady, she is well-versed in foreign policy."
Carmen Thomas, a 44-year-old hair salon owner whose husband, Benjamin, recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, is feeling similar qualms. "I love Bill, loved him when he was in office," she said. "I am excited that we have a brother running for office and that we have a female running for office, and that they are both Democrats."
In South Carolina -- a newly important Democratic battleground with an early primary -- the black vote is crucial. Half of Democratic voters here are black; a majority of those are women. And because so many black women have yet to make up their minds -- about 40% in one recent poll said they were undecided -- experts suggest that the victor here Jan. 29 will be the candidate who successfully courts them.
