Feet on the ground

Campaign 2008 | How far can volunteer efforts take a presidential campaign? Obama and Huckabee, with impressive grassroots strength in South Carolina, plan to find out this month | Jamie Dean

Brian White on the phone at the Obama regional headquarters in Rock Hill, S.C.

Brian White didn't expect to be part of a presidential campaign. The telecommunications salesman from North Carolina got involved in South Carolina politics a few months ago when he realized the state's importance in the primary calendar: "I had a 'duh' moment."

That "duh" moment led White to trek to Rock Hill, S.C., once a week to make phone calls and knock on doors for the Barack Obama campaign. On a cold, misty Saturday morning before Christmas, White donned a wool hat in the parking lot of the York County Public Library before heading out to canvass nearby neighborhoods.

At the first house on his list in a poor section of town, White turned with a sheepish smile. "I hate doing this," he said. When a man answered the door, White gave him campaign literature and reminded him to vote in the primary. The man silently nodded and closed the door.