Prometheus 6

The dilemma is particularly pointed for black elected officials such as Ford, who are faced with a field that includes three candidates -- Edwards, Clinton and Obama -- with strong claims on African American voters.

"Strong claims," huh?

Can Old Loyalties Trump Racial Solidarity?
Top 3 Democrats Tied Strongly to Black Voters
By Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 18, 2007; A12

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Displayed prominently on the wall of state Sen. Robert Ford's legislative office is a picture of Hillary Rodham Clinton delivering a speech for her husband's 1992 presidential campaign. It became an image that Ford could not shake as every major 2008 Democratic presidential candidate came calling in search of his endorsement.

John Edwards reminded Ford of the role he played in the former North Carolina senator's campaign just four years ago. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) stressed his vast experience. Ford dined with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson -- "super résumé," Ford observed -- and met with Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.). And like many Democrats here and across the country, he has marveled at the excitement surrounding Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's potentially historic candidacy.

Still, when Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) and then her husband, Bill, called, Ford could not say no. Ford said he had decided that Hillary Clinton was the best qualified for the job. "She's already spent eight years in the White House," he said.

By the time the Clintons called, Ford's mind was all but made up. "I guess you can say that sealed the deal," Ford said of the calls. "Besides, if I supported someone else, I'd have to take down Senator Clinton's picture."

The large number of well-known Democratic candidates has further complicated the quadrennial choice faced by elected officials here as they size up the presidential field.

The dilemma is particularly pointed for black elected officials such as Ford, who are faced with a field that includes three candidates -- Edwards, Clinton and Obama -- with strong claims on African American voters. The black vote is projected to account for half of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina's January primary, raising the stakes for candidates trying to win support from black leaders. In Florida, which has moved its primary up to Jan. 29, black voters are nearly a quarter of the Democratic electorate.