Today's dead tree and premium editions carry a Palmetto State dateline, with word from me and Aaron Gould Sheinin of the Democratic presidential front-runner's South Carolina debut. The top:
But the scars have not completely healed from an ugly battle in 2008 with Barack Obama in the early primary state, and key Democrats say Clinton will not be able to skate to victory here, even as they acknowledge her lack of substantial primary competition.
"Although a number of us are anxious to see her, until a lot of us do see her, nobody is going to be committing and running out to make sure she's the nominee," said state House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia.
Our compatriot Greg Bluestein will be on the scene today as Clinton meets and greets with Columbia Democrats. Tomorrow morning, Clinton will raise money in Atlanta and then it's on to Florida. It's Clinton's first southern swing since announcing her presidential campaign last month.
On the Republican side, you might have noticed our story last week on the South Carolina race gearing up:
It's not just the chance to meet the next occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. There's also an important economic impact for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — the quartet of states the Democratic and Republican parties have granted the privilege of voting early in the primary process.
A recent University of South Carolina study conducted by the state GOP chairman found that the 2012 Republican presidential primary provided the state $20 million in direct spending and $30 million in free marketing value.
All this is to say that in addition to blanket coverage of campaign happenings in Georgia, you can expect a region-wide focus from your AJC friends for the next year-and-a-half as we take you through the battle for the presidency. In South Carolina and other states across the South, we'll be there to tell you how our region is shaping the race.
And it's already under way.
About the Author
