Obama projected to win South Carolina

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) withstood a fierce challenge from the tandem of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to win the first-in-the-South primary in South Carolina Saturday.

{mosads}Black voters turned out in large numbers for the Illinois senator and propelled him to victory, giving Obama a major boost as the Democratic nominating contest now heads to Super Tuesday. Obama’s win in the Palmetto State deals the Clintons a painful loss.

The Illinois senator was widely anticipated to emerge victorious in the race, which saw a new level of vitriol dominate the Democratic contest in recent days as the former president campaigned vigorously on behalf of his wife.

Infighting between Clinton and Obama continued throughout the day even as voters were going to the polls, as the two camps traded memos trying to both raise and lower expectations.

Obama scored a major win by proving his appeal among black voters, a bloc among which Clinton once led

However, the nomination race remains wide open as South Carolina only set the stage for Super Tuesday and the next round of the fight between the two frontrunners.

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), however, suffered another setback as he once again did not come close to winning one of the early contests. Many believe that another loss, especially one that came in the state in which he was born, could cause the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee to rethink how long he wants to stay in the race, despite his pledge to campaign until the Democratic convention.

The Clinton campaign, time and again, tried to lower expectations for this contest, something that was underscored by the fact that the former first lady was scheduled to be in Nashville, Tenn. — the capital of a Super Tuesday state — as the winners were announced Saturday night.