Voters in South Carolina have started voting today in the state's Democratic Party primary in what one party official predicts will be a record turnout.
The contest is being painted as a "must-win" for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who lost to New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire and Nevada after his triumph in the Iowa caucuses.
He met with supporters at a largely black Baptist church in Columbia, S.C., and later popped up for pictures at a local restaurant. The restaurant's owner -- a lifelong Republican -- said he was considering voting for Obama.
"There is a charisma about him. He seems to represent change. He's an aggregator, he pulls people together," said Scott Boyd.
Clinton, with daughter Chelsea and the media in tow, also showed up at a restaurant in another part of the city. She spoke with patrons and hugged babies.
In the run up to the vote, Democrats became increasingly worried this past week about heated bickering between Clinton and Obama. Some fear the personal tone of the debate will hurt the party.
Much of voter anxiety concerns the Clintons -- both Hillary and Bill. The former president is a beloved figure in the party. But now, some say he may be going too far in trying to help his wife obtain the party nomination.
Many are now describing him as the "bad cop" and "attack dog" of the Hillary Clinton campaign following remarks where he called Obama's media coverage a "fairy tale." He's also been picking fights with the press for what he says are unfair portrayals of his wife's campaign. Analysts and even his friends fear Bill Clinton is not acting presidential.
"He may be hurting himself, hurting his legacy, hurting the Democratic party, and maybe even hurting his own wife's candidacy," says Robert Reich, who was labour secretary in the Clinton administration.
During one debate, Obama lashed out at Hillary Clinton, telling her, "I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes."
For her part, candidate Clinton has launched attack ads against Obama, claiming he praised former Republican president Ronald Reagan -- a charge the Obama camp denies. They counter-punched, saying Clinton will "say anything to get elected."
Political analysts predict the tactics will probably not help either the Clinton or Obama campaigns.
"(The) personal attacks, nasty, sharp elbows -- voters get turned off with that," says Peter Fenn, a political strategist.
The Obama-Clinton battle may help third place candidate and South Carolina-born John Edwards, who's trying to take advantage of the bitter fight.
"That may be the way they do politics in New York. It may be the way they do politics in Chicago. But South Carolina is better than that, and you deserve better than that," Edwards told voters this week.
As South Carolina Democrats prepared to vote, both the Clinton and Obama camps said they wanted to calm the rhetoric. But all of the candidates had previously called for a truce in the run-up to the Nevada caucuses.
It didn't last long.
Meanwhile, hometown hero John Edwards said he will stay in the race no matter how he fares in South Carolina. Edwards gained momentum heading into the vote, possibly swaying voters away from the two frontrunners.
However, opinion polls show the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice-presidential nominee trailing Clinton and Obama in distant third place.
South Carolina polls close at 7 p.m. ET.
With a report by CTV's Joy Malbon
