SNEAK PEEK: Dum Spiro Spero

January 25, 2008— -- 1 day until the South Carolina primary (Democrats)

4 days until the Florida primary

Barack Obama enters Saturday's South Carolina Democratic primary as the odds-on-favorite.

But how much of a bounce will he get out of a win?

With Bill Clinton taking care of Jessica Yellin, Hillary Clinton was freed up over the past week to raise money and campaign in Feb. 5 states.

Obama, by contrast, has been bogged down in the Palmetto State, knowing after losses in New Hampshire and Nevada that South Carolina is a state he cannot afford to lose.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, the Clinton camp took additional steps on Friday to ingratiate the former first lady with Florida voters.

"Those votes should matter," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said of Florida voters on MSNBC. "We are going to ask our delegates to seat the delegation of Florida and Michigan and we think Sen. Obama and Sen. Edwards ought to do the same thing."

Although Florida's Democratic primary is a delegate-free contest, Clinton is laying the groundwork to get a free-media boost if she emerges first in the Florida balloting.

She will also soon have the backing of Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, per Huffington Post's Sam Stein.

Nuts and bolts of South Carolina Democratic Primary:

Forty-five delegates are up for grabs.

Democratic delegates are apportioned according to the vote in each congressional district as well as the statewide results. Candidates must receive at least 15 percent (either within a congressional district or statewide) of the vote to be eligible to be apportioned delegates.

African-Americans make up 29 percent of the state's population and make up 47 percent of the voters in the 2004 Democratic primary. Black voters went for John Edwards over John Kerry 37-34 percent. On Saturday, African-Americans are expected to make up at least half of the voters in the primary, and probably more.

South Carolina has an open primary: independents can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary but not both. The Republican primary was last Saturday so an independent who voted on Jan. 19 cannot vote again in Saturday's primary.

There are 2,445,755 registered voters (There is no same-day registration).

Absentee ballots are due on primary day and can be returned by fax.

Some things to look for:

- It's not do or die for John Edwards in South Carolina. Assuming that his Saturday finish is not Nevadesque, he is expected to stay in the race at least until Feb. 5 because his advisers believe that he could play kingmaker if his two rivals end up short on delegates.

- Unlike the GOP race where there were pockets of voters that candidates were aiming to win, there is no one area that is seen as straight up Obama/Clinton/Edwards territory.

- If Obama is performing very well in counties like Williamsburg, Florence, Marion and Clarendon, it could indicate a big win for him. These are counties with large African-American population

- Clinton's areas are Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia (Richland County). She can do well in these places among educated liberal women. Columbia is a college town (USC) and Clinton has a strong network of elected officials in Richland County.

- If Edwards is getting 25-35 percent in the Upstate counties (Greenville, Spartanburg, Cherokee, York, Chester) then this could really hurt Clinton. These counties are the places where Edwards' economic message can play well -- textile mills closing -- and if he gets broad support, it will likely be at the expense of Clinton.

The kicker:

"You may decide . . . 'Barack's got it in the bag, because the polls look good.' Remember the polls in New Hampshire? We cannot take anything for granted."--Barack Obama at a 1/21 debate-watch party in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

On the campaign trail. . .

JOHN MCCAIN

-- 10:45 am ET: Attends town hall meeting with voters, North Fort Myers, FL

-- 11:45 am ET: Holds media availability with voters, North Fort Myers, FL

-- 2:45 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Sun City Center, FL

-- 7:30 pm ET: Attends event with voters, St. Petersburg, FL

MITT ROMNEY

-- 8:15 am ET: Addresses voters at event, St. Petersburg, FL

-- 10:25 am ET: Holds event with voters, Lutz, FL

-- 1:55 pm ET: Holds event with voters, Lakeland, FL

RUDY GIULIANI

-- 10:00 am ET: Visits with supporters at event, Sarasota, FL

-- 4:30 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Orlando, FL

-- 7:45 pm ET: Delivers remarks to supporters at event, Orlando, FL

MIKE HUCKABEE

-- 8:00 am ET: Tours the orange grove with growers, South Lake Wales, FL

-- 10:00 am ET: Attends the Lakeland Pig Festival, Lakeland, FL

-- 12:00 pm ET: Holds press conference to announce endorsements, Orlando, FL

-- 1:00 pm ET: Delivers speech to voters at event, Orlando, FL

-- 5:30 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Birmingham, AL

-- 6:15 pm ET: Attends fundraiser with supporters, Birmingham, AL (closed press)

-- 7:00 pm ET: Holds media availability, Birmingham, AL

As for the Democrats. . .

BILL CLINTON

-- Attends event with voters, Kansas City, MO

BARACK OBAMA

-- 7:30 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Columbia, SC

JOHN EDWARDS

-- 8:40 am ET: Attends event with voters, Mt. Pleasant, SC

-- 11:20 am ET: Drops by polling location with Rep. Chris Hart, Rep. Leon Howard and Mayor Bob Coble, Columbia, SC

-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Columbia, SC

MIKE GRAVEL

-- 11:30 am ET: Addresses voters at event, Deland, FL

-- 2:00 pm ET: Addresses voters at event, Deland, FL

-- 4:00 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting at event, Deltona, FL

At the White House. . .

PRESIDENT BUSH

-- 7:15 p.m. Attends the Alfalfa Club dinner, Washington, DC

Sunday, January 27, 2008

On the campaign trail. . .

JOHN MCCAIN

-- Appears on Meet the Press with Tim Russert

-- 12:00 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting with voters, Polk City, FL

-- 1:00 pm ET: Holds media availability, Polk City, FL

-- 3:00 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting with voters, Lady Lake, FL

-- 4:00 pm ET: Holds media availability with voters, Lady Lake, FL

-- 6:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, TBA

MITT ROMNEY

-- 4:00 pm ET: Attends fundraiser with supporters, Palm Beach, FL (closed press)

-- 6:00 pm ET: Attends fundraiser with supporters, Boca Raton, FL (closed press)

RUDY GIULIANI

-- 10:30 am ET: Delivers remarks to voters at event, Boca Raton, FL

-- 12:45 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Port Saint Lucie, FL

-- 3:00 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Vero Beach, FL

-- 5:30 pm ET: Visits with supporters at event, Cocoa Beach, FL

MIKE HUCKABEE

-- Appears on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace

As for the Democrats. . .

BARACK OBAMA

-- Appears on This Week with George Stephanopoulos

-- 12:00 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting with voters, Birmingham, AL

JOHN EDWARDS

-- 1:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Dublin, GA

Monday, January 28, 2008

On the campaign trail. . .

JOHN MCCAIN

-- 9:00 pm ET: Attends the State of the Union Address, Washington, DC

RUDY GIULIANI

-- 9:15 am ET: Delivers remarks to voters at rally, Sanford, FL

-- 12:00 pm ET: Delivers remarks to voters at rally, Clearwater, FL

-- 3:00 pm ET: Delivers remarks to voters at rally, Ft. Myers, FL

-- 5:45 pm ET: Delivers remarks to voters at rally, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

-- 10:15 pm ET: Delivers remarks to voters at rally, Miami, FL

As for the Democrats. . .

HILLARY CLINTON

-- 9:00 pm ET: Attends the State of the Union Address, Washington, DC

BARACK OBAMA

-- Attends to Senate duties, Washington, DC

-- Attends rally with voters, Washington, DC

-- 9:00 pm ET: Attends the State of the Union Address, Washington, DC

JOHN EDWARDS

-- 11:15 am ET: Attends event with voters, Chattanooga, TN

-- 1:30 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Nashville, TN

-- 5:30 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Springfield, MO

MIKE GRAVEL

-- 12:00 pm ET: Addresses voters at event, Boca Raton, FL

-- 3:00 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting with voters, Boynton Beach, FL

At the White House. . .

PRESIDENT BUSH

-- 9:00 pm ET: Delivers the State of the Union Address, Washington, DC

POLITICAL NEWS STORIES AT ABCNEWS.COM

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Florida or Waterloo? Stakes High for Giuliani LINK

ABC News' Avni Patel and Rehab El-Buri Report: How Much Did an Accused Political Fixed Raise for Obama? LINK

ABC News' Marcus Baram Reports: Photo of Clintons: Obama Achilles Hell on Other Foot? LINK

ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: Florida Senator Mel Martinez Endorses McCain LINK

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Obama: Clinton 'Knives' Came Out After Iowa LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Bill Clinton Contradicts Hillary on Running 'The Bureaucracy' LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Hypocrisy Friday LINK

ABC News' Matt Stuart Reports: Romney Addresses Latin Builders in Miami LINK

ABC News' Raelyn Johnson: Edwards: S.C. Deserves Better Than Clinton-Obama Bickering LINK

ABC News' Matt Stuart Reports: Romney Barks Back at McCain LINK

ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper Report: Clinton's "Leapfrogger" Comment: A Shot at Obama? LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Boycott Chuck Norris? LINK

ABC News' Jennifer Parker Reports: Kucinich: 'I'm No Longer Running for President' LINK

ABC News' Jan Simmonds Reports: Giuliani: Extra Time, Early Voting Makes Difference in Florida LINK

ABC News' Kevin Chupka Reports: Huckabee to Cuban Immigrants: I Didn't Mean You LINK

ABC News' Jake Tapper Report: Mitt a Straight Face LINK

ABC News' Jennifer Duck Reports: Jenna Bush's Cowboy Couture Wedding? LINK

POLITICAL VIDEO AT ABCNEWS.COM

Dems Square Off in South Carolina

Who will emerge victorious in the South Carolina Democratic primary? LINK

Pelosi Forecasts '08 Outlook

House Speaker Pelosi gives the Democratic pre-buttal to the State of the Union. LINK

Democrats Push for South Carolina

ABC's Kate Snow on the trail of Hillary Clinton. LINK

Giuliani's Last Stand

ABC's Jake Tapper on the struggle for the Sunshine State. LINK

Obama Reads the Top Ten

Democratic candidate Barack Obama's 'Top Ten' campaign promises on Letterman. LINK

Republicans Spar Over Economy

The last Republican debate in Florida focused on cost-cutting measures. LINK

Does Clinton Have the Hispanic Vote?

ABC's Kate Snow reports from the Clinton campaign. LINK

'The Note' Rewinds the Week's Best Moments

ABC News' Senior Political Reporter Rick Klein on the weekly political roundup. LINK

Edwards Knocks Obama, Clinton for Bickering

Sen. Edwards releases ad in South Carolina slamming his rivals for squabbling. LINK

Pro-Obama Group Takes California Airwaves

Power PAC airs ad praising Obama on California cable stations. LINK

Will Tax Rebate Help?

The economic stimulus package provides up to $1,200 for some families. LINK

Bottom Line on the Race for '08

George Stephanopoulos analyzes where the Democratic and GOP candidates stand. LINK

Hillary Clinton Prepares for Challenges

Sen. Clinton's take on the hotly contested Democratic primary in South Carolina. LINK

Will Congress' Stimulus Plan Work?

Economists worry about the timing of refund checks as well as effectiveness. LINK

Bill: The Other Clinton Candidate

Could the ex-president's extreme support of his wife's candidacy hurt her? LINK