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The South Carolina presidential primary has become one of several key early state nominating...

The South Carolina presidential primary has become one of several key early state nominating contests in the process of choosing nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties for the following election for President of the United States. It has historically been more important for the Republican Party. From its inception in 1980 through the election of 2008, the winner of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary has gone on to win the nomination. As of 2008, the primary has cemented its place as the "First in the South" primary for both parties. The most recent Republican presidential primary was held on January 19, 2008, with the Democratic primary following on January 26, 2008. For the Democrats, the primary took on added significance because it was the first nominating contest in 2008 in which a large percentage (55 percent, according to an exit poll) of primary voters were African Americans. Opening hours for the polls are 7 am to 7 pm Eastern Standard Time.