John Edwards (news - web sites) won his native state of South Carolina and hoped for victory outside the South to slow Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry (news - web sites), who aimed for a string of victories on a seven-state election night.
Kerry, Edwards and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (news - web sites) fought it out in Oklahoma, while pre-election polls showed Kerry leading in the five remaining primaries or caucuses. Kerry, a four-term Massachusetts senator, hoped to cement his front-runner status.
Edwards had said he must win South Carolina, and he did by dominating among voters who called the economy their biggest concern.
He also scored well among whites, older people, the less-educated and voters who called themselves moderate or conservative. Edwards split the black vote with Kerry, despite the Massachusetts senator's high-profile endorsement from Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state's most influential black politician.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=1&u=/ap/20040204/ap_on_el_pr/democrats