ANDREA SEABROOK, host:
Let's turn now to South Carolina, where Republicans, the presidential primary is still going on until 7 p.m. Eastern time.
NPR's Debbie Elliott is in Columbia, South Carolina. She's been out and about the state.
Debbie, weather must have been a concern there.
DEBBIE ELLIOTT: Hi, Andrea.
SEABROOK: Yes. How was the weather?
ELLIOTT: Well, it's cold and wet, even snow in some parts of the usually balmy Palmetto State here. And folks were a little bit concerned about turnout today. But the reports we're getting from around the state, even upstate where there was snow, that people still came out and voted. In fact, there was a heavy early-morning voting upstate because they knew the snow is coming later in the day.
I think that reflects the excitement that people feel about this wide-open race. Some of the voters that I talked to here in Columbia even said they - you know, were undecided up until the last minute, making their decisions at the boot today.
SEABROOK: Fascinating. And, of course, we'll be watching these results and reporting them to our listeners as soon as we get them.
But Debbie, what were voters telling you were their biggest issues in this primary?
ELLIOTT: You know, I went to a large Baptist church, Shandon Baptist on the outskirts of Columbia today and talked to voters as they finished voting. And several themes recurred, including national security.
Let's listen to what this voter had to say. This is 70-year-old Jim Young(ph).
Mr. JIM YOUNG (Voter): Two reasons I came to vote for John McCain: number one, he's somewhat retired military and he is - I think he'll get us out of Iraq quickly and so on. And number two, we need somebody as president who's going to bring people together, and I think he can do that. He's proven that in the past. So I think he'll do a good job if he's elected.
ELLIOTT: Some of the other things that folks were talking about - immigration is a big concern and, of course, the economy. The news here in South Carolina just yesterday, the new unemployment figures showed a 6.6 percent unemployment rate here. That's the third highest in the country.
SEABROOK: Hmm. Well, remind people that the Democratic primary in South Carolina is next week, and, of course, we'll be there as well.
ELLIOTT: Mm-hmm.
SEABROOK: But going into this primary, the polls favored Arizona Senator John McCain and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Two very kinds of Republicans, who were they reaching out to in the state?
ELLIOTT: Well, you know, each of them seemed to have their own natural base here. For John McCain, it's the state's large military contingent - both active duty personnel and retirees, veterans. They turn out at his events. He appeals to their patriotism.
For Mike Huckabee, it's the evangelical voters here, some say up to 40 percent of the Republican electorate here. He's reached out to them. He's taking a more populist approach, hitting on themes that resonate with them. Even this week, picking up on the confederate battle flag issue, which was big here in 2000 and hurt John McCain during that election.
SEABROOK: What does that mean for Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney in South Carolina?
ELLIOTT: Well, you know, Mitt Romney left the state on Thursday. He really was putting his attention in Nevada. From Thompson, you know, he's been on talk, radio, saying he is the real conservative in this race. This is, you know, certainly a race where he has to make a stand if he is going to continue to be a viable Republican candidate.
SEABROOK: Thanks very much. NPR's Debbie Elliott in Columbia, South Carolina.