Clinton Abandons South Carolina

Hillary Clinton has pretty much given up in South Carolina and has taken her campaign to other states that will vote in the super-whamadyne Tuesday primaries. The Washington Post covers her efforts in an article published today.

SALINAS, Calif., Jan. 22 — The next Democratic presidential nominating contest will take place in South Carolina on Saturday, but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has already turned her full attention to places such as this: delegate-rich pockets of states that will vote in a tidal wave of primaries two weeks from now.

Clinton has been focused on California, New York, New Jersey and Arkansas since her defeat in the Iowa caucuses earlier this month, betting that she can sweep states where her name recognition and popularity are strong.

The logic seems simple: She represents New York in the Senate, and New Jersey is next door; she was the first lady of Arkansas for a decade; and California will be the biggest prize when 22 states vote on Feb. 5. But in a system that awards delegates by congressional district, with some worth more than others, the calculation is far from straightforward, and Clinton backers fear that the setup could boost Sen. Barack Obama if he fares well in populous corners of key states.

Her strategists call it a "game of chess," part of the byzantine path to the Democratic nomination in a campaign that has pitted two strong front-runners and a determined third candidate, former senator John Edwards, in a tight battle from one contest to the next.

It is a dangerous strategy. There is a real chance that Clinton will win the nomination but fracture key voting blocs away from her party in the process. One can hope, at any rate. At last count, Obama actually has more delegates than Clinton, though. The press is falling into the Clinton as front runner narrative anyway. If Obama pulls off a huge win in South Carolina, it will remain a close contest. If the victory is narrow, maybe not so much.