Much At Stake for Obama in South Carolina

With the eyes of the political world firmly focused on it, South Carolina is set to hold its Democratic Primary this Saturday. South Carolina, combining with the January 29 Florida Primary, will likely serve as the one-two punch that will leave the Democratic field ready for what is now being referred to as “Super Duper Tuesday” on February 5 where over 50% of the party’s delegates will be selected. And while February 5 is being thought by most as the deciding day for Democrats, the results from South Carolina will go a long way in shaping the momentum that Democrats carry with them going into February 5.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama is said to be the favorite going into Saturday’s primary. Obama, who holds leads in the majority of polls in South Carolina, is anticipated to capture a great deal of support from the large African American population that makes up South Carolina. A win for Obama would help the Illinois Senator to stop the bleeding that he has suffered from back-to-back defeats at the hands of New York Senator Hillary Clinton in both New Hampshire and Nevada.

Clinton, who faces double-digit-deficits in many South Carolina polls, will need to surmount a last minute comeback the way she was able to in New Hampshire if she is to capture victory Saturday. Although Clinton trails in South Carolina, a Clinton defeat in the Palmetto State has the potential to be quickly overshadowed by a victory three days later in Florida. Clinton enjoys a double-digit lead in the majority of Florida polls and thus it is safe to assume that without a mishap Clinton’s Florida leads would only benefit from a win in South Carolina.

Obama, on the other hand, would seem to suffer greatly from a defeat in South Carolina. A third straight defeat by the New York Senator would leave Obama to have to scrap for a long-shot victory in Florida to stop the bleeding before the all-important February 5 contest.

The bottom line for Obama is that he must win in South Carolina or run the risk of being steam-rolled by Clinton in to and out of February 5.