With the Republican presidential primary under its belt, South Carolina is preparing for another busy weekend as the Democratic presidential primary approaches. When voters head to the polls again on Saturday, many of them will be taking to heart the issues that matter most to them.
In the News13 Network’s "Voice of the Voter" survey, participants told us that illegal immigration was the issue they were most concerned about. That was followed by the war in Iraq, corruption and ethical standards, health care, and education.
According to Dr. Neal Thigpen, a political analyst, education is one of the big issues on the Democratic side this election year. Thigpen said that most of the Republican candidates talk about it in a secondary fashion.
"So, I think, you know, watch it on the Democratic side. I think it’ll cut there. It’s a secondary thing on the Republican side," said Thigpen.
Hillary Clinton proposes a $10 billion plan for universal preschool and more money for special education.
Barack Obama wants to encourage but not require universal pre-kindergarten programs, expand teacher mentoring programs, and reward teachers with higher pay not tied to standardized test scores.
John Edwards supports universal preschool for four-year-olds and would change or replace No Child Left Behind.
Dennis Kucinich wants to "expand public education to include pre-kindergarten
beginning at age 3 for any families that want it, as well as tuition-free
college for millions of students," according to his website.
Mike Gravel believes "it's time to re-order our national budget priorities in order to improve the American education system," according to his website.
--The Associated Press contributed to this story

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