U.S. Democrats share the spotlight in first debate

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) - The eight Democratic White House contenders campaigned across South Carolina on Friday after a first debate that produced no winners or losers but gave some lesser-known candidates a share of the national spotlight.

After months of heavy media attention on favourites Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards, the debate allowed the rest of the crowded Democratic field to seize the microphone and lay out views on issues like Iraq and health care.

"What it did was show Americans there are more than three people in this race," said South Carolina state Rep. Jerry Govan of Orangeburg, a supporter of Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware.

Along with Biden, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel also shared the stage in Orangeburg with the early favourites.

Clinton, a New York senator who would be the first woman president, leads the Democratic race in national polls. Obama, a senator from Illinois who would be the first black president, has gained ground in polls and matched Clinton in fund-raising.

Both managed steady and gaffe-free performances that will not hurt their standing, analysts said, while most of the rest of the field helped themselves simply by being there.

"Nobody hit a home run and nobody struck out," said Phil Noble, head of South Carolina's centrist New Democrats and an Obama supporter. "They all were competent and did what they needed to do -- stand up there and go toe-to-toe with everyone else and look like they could handle the job."

The debate was the first of nearly a dozen planned before the first votes are cast in the party nomination races in January 2008. The Republicans hold their first debate next week in California.