COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The spotlight for Democrats' race for the White House is on South Carolina, one week after Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders in Nevada. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Clinton is looking to reverse the results of 2008, when Barack Obama captured 55 percent of the vote over her 27 percent. That year, about 23 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the Democrats' presidential primary. More than half of them were minorities. African-Americans make up about 28 percent of South Carolina's nearly 3 million registered voters, while young people ages 18 to 24 account for 8 percent, according to the state Election Commission.
Here are snapshots of voters who went to the polls Saturday:University of South Carolina graduate student Owen Jensen said he voted for Sanders, but he thinks Clinton would do a good job too. It was the first time the 29-year-old Columbia resident had voted in a primary contest.
Jensen, who is white, said he thinks either Sanders or Clinton would do well in November.
"I think we have a strong foothold right now given the wackiness that's going on on the other side," he said. "They seem to be awfully divisive among each other."
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Wanda Scott-Anderson of Columbia said the choice was difficult, but she went with Clinton for her experience. Equal pay for women and health care — specifically for the elderly — were the issues most important to the 58-year-old retiree.
Scott-Anderson, who is black, chose Clinton as the candidate who's "been in the limelight" and "through the battle.""I'll take my chances with her. I know she's been there, and it makes a big difference," said Scott-Anderson, who worked at the state Department of Juvenile Justice. "Talking — and knowing how to talk to these foreign leaders — you have to have that. We have a lot of problems. We definitely don't need a war."
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Elementary school teacher Alicia Newman said she was torn but ultimately voted for Clinton for her electability.
"I don't think Bernie has a shot in a national election, and this election is too important," said the 31-year-old Greenville resident, who is white.
"The next president is probably going to end up appointing the next judge on the Supreme Court. If Hillary is elected, she'll appoint a moderate or liberal judge to replace (Antonin) Scalia."
She worries a conservative court could threaten legal abortion.
"With all the debates, I think Bernie has helped prepare Hillary for November. That's good. But now it's time to get around one candidate and wait for the Republicans," she said.Substitute teacher Regina Duggins of Charleston said she voted for Clinton partly because she could become the first female president.
She said she also liked Clinton's positions on working to end gun violence and deal with the high incarceration rates of young black males.
"I like Bernie Sanders, and he also has been doing things to help the black community as well. But I just think we need someone who is more familiar with the government and how the whole system works," Duggins, who is black, said after voting at a school in downtown Charleston.
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Special education teacher Robert Bennett Terry of Mount Pleasant voted for Bernie Sanders, even though he says Clinton can beat Donald Trump and doesn't think Sanders can.
"However, Bernie Sanders is certainly someone who will bring change to all the people who need change in this great nation of ours," said Terry, who is white, voting at a middle school in suburban Charleston.
"I want to send a message — a strong message — that in the Lowcountry here, many people are hurting. I see that each week. I work with kids in a Title 1 school and their families. They need a break. They need higher wages. They need to have a better life."Markos Young, of suburban Columbia, said he recently went to hear Hillary Clinton at an event in Columbia and "felt more connected to her" on issues such as racial disparities, health care and tuition.
"I was at one point considering Bernie, but she really swayed me on the issues personally affecting me," said Young, who is African-American.
Young, a 40-year-old University of Georgia graduate who works in human resources, said he's considering going to medical school and would have to take out student loans. He said Sanders' stance on free tuition sounds good, but he doesn't believe it. "I would love tuition to be free, but how? Somebody has to pay for it. Where's that coming from? AP
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