By Pamela J. Gentry, Senior Political Producer

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Posted Nov. 28, 2007) – Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) visited South Carolina Tuesday, which will be the first southern state to hold its presidential primary.  She stopped in Spartanburg to pick up endorsements from some 50 ministers whose congregations cover the northern region of the state.  The delegation of pastors flanked Clinton on stage before a crowd of more than 300 in the Spartanburg Marriott Hotel ballroom.

A political pep rally with pastors is a winning combination for any campaign.  But the one who stood out to me was the event coordinator. South Carolina State Rep. Harold Mitchell (D) had first endorsed Clinton’s top rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

 Mitchell told me his switch wasn’t “a quick change” but after finding Clinton was closer to the issues he cared about, it just seemed like the right thing to do. 

Mitchell said when he testified at a hearing in Washington, D.C., on environmental justice, he listen to what Clinton had to say and found she supported the same state projects he was working on. Not just on this issue but other issues as well. 

“She came back and put together a trust fund for affordable housing; she signed onto the reauthorization of Hope Six, an initiative to spark home ownership, and she has the leadership and experience,” Mitchell said.

You can never underestimate how a candidate relates to the folks when they meet face to face.  And Clinton worked the room and clearly roped in a few votes.  After her remarks, she shook hands with the crowd and exchanged pleasantries. 

Bertha Robinson from Moore, S.C., told me, “I like her ideas, and she would be an excellent president; she’s for the middle class and underprivileged.”

John Teamer, of Spartanburg, was still undecided.  “I wanted to see what she’s like; I want a president that’s for everybody.”  

There is no way to tell just how much power or influence these pastors have with their folks or communities.  Mitchell told me most of them were already Clinton supporters and his switch had nothing to do with their endorsement. 

Mitchell is confident he made the right move.  “I like the senator (Obama); he’s real good; it’s not that I dislike him.”

That may be true, but it is a “dis.”