south carolina primary

Primary voters just gave former Speaker Newt Gingrich the win in the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, "America's most conservative state." Reddest of the red. Buckle of the Bible Belt. CNN welcomed viewers to the Charleston debate this week with “Welcome to the South,” a place “where values matter.”

More there than anywhere else? What values mattered most to South Carolinians who gave Gingrich his win?

Not trust. Why should they trust Newt Gingrich? His three wives can’t.

After the sound and fury, South Carolina primary feels like a tossup

Tommy Tomlinson
ttomlinson@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012

I'm working on new forms of storytelling for the Observer, in the paper and online. Part of that involves gathering stories from readers. I'll be asking you for some of yours on a regular basis. You can see the results on my blog, Tommy's Table.

I've worked for the Observer for 21 years, as a bureau reporter,

Republican presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich share a laugh during a commercial break at the Republican presidential candidate debate at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012.

More Information

Romney's on the ropes in GOP race

South Carolina voters rejected the politics of division in a historic Democratic turnout. Despite the Clintons’ plan to put Obama in a black box, his strengths among white voters and independents helped him win a bi-racial landslide.

(For information on volunteering in the Triangle for the Obama campaign, visit the Triangle for Obama Meetup Group or contact Carolyn Cameron @ (919) 321-2665 / carolyn-cameron@hotmail.com.)

As you might know by now, I've been spending some of my time as a volunteer for the Barack Obama campaign in South Carolina.
I thought you might be interested in knowing what I'm doing there.

The Obama campaign has several field offices scattered all over South Carolina.
The main Headquarters are of course in Columbia, but I go down to the Rock Hill field office, since that's the closest. It takes me about an hour and 15 minutes to get there. I mainly go down there on the weekends, but I've also managed to squeeze in a few evenings now and then.

We ended up in Columbia, S.C. one weekend in December, volunteering at Obama’s South Carolina headquarters by canvassing and phonebanking likely voters. What we witnessed explains why the last obstacles to a tidal wave of support for Obama among black voters in South Carolina are now being swept away.