By KUNA
Washington : Illinois Senator Barack Obama swept to victory in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, reviving his campaign against Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination with only nine days before 22 states vote on “Super Tuesday.” With overwhelming support from black voters, Obama, who is attempting to become the first African-American U.S. president, beat Clinton in South Carolina by 55 percent to 27 percent.
Former North Carolina senator John Edwards, who was born in South Carolina, came in a distant third with 18 percent, but vowed to fight on. Some analysts say if Clinton and Obama fail to sew up the nomination through the spring, Edwards could play “kingmaker” at the Democratic convention in August by delivering his delegates to one of the two candidates to break the tie.
In a victory speech on Saturday night in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, Obama indirectly criticized the campaign tactics of Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton.
“This election is about the past versus the future,” Obama said.
“… As contentious as this campaign may get, we have to remember that this is a contest for the Democratic nomination, and that all of us share an abiding desire to end the disastrous policies of the current administration,” he said, referring to the Republican administration of President George W. Bush.
Obama, 46, needed the victory in South Carolina to regain momentum he lost since winning the opening contest in the Iowa caucuses early this month. He then narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary, and was beaten soundly by her in the Nevada caucuses.
Black voters in South Carolina supported Obama by a margin of more than 4-to-1 over his nearest rival, exit polls indicated. Among white voters, Obama took about a quarter of the vote, with Clinton and Edwards roughly splitting the remainder.
Among voters 65 and older in the state, Clinton beat Obama 40 to 32 percent. But Obama handily defeated Clinton in every other bracket, and overall garnered 58 percent of the vote among 18 to 64-year-olds in South Carolina, while 23 percent of those voters picked Clinton. The South Carolina victory makes the Democratic contest wide open once again, and many analysts believe the race will still be undecided beyond Feb. 5, “Super Tuesday,” when 22 states cast ballots across the country, including in such delegate-rich places as California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois.
In the Republican race, Senator John McCain picked up the endorsement of popular Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist on Saturday night, a day after McCain was endorsed by Florida Republican Senator Mel Martinez.
The Florida primary takes place on Tuesday, and McCain is in a tight race there with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, according to recent polls. The Crist and Martinez endorsements were considered highly significant, and could give McCain the edge he needs to win in the Sunshine State.
Clinton, the former first lady and senator from New York, flew to Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday night, to campaign in one of the 22 states that holds primaries on Feb. 5, “Super Tuesday.” In a speech there, Clinton, 60, congratulated Obama, and said she wanted the election to be about the next generation. She said Americans are concerned about their jobs, the economy, health care, college affordability, and restoring U.S. standing in the world.