But 20 years later, the strategy hatched by political wonder kid Lee Atwater may come back to haunt Republicans, as the campaign of the establishment's candidate, Gov. George W. Bush is being threatened by Arizona Sen. John McCain's appeal to Democrats and independents.

Atwater convinced state GOP leaders in 1979 that South Carolina could build its Republican party and reap political importance by dumping the tradition of picking presidential candidates at state conventions and holding an open, early primary election.

Democrats and independents turned out to help elect Reagan. McCain is now wooing those same voters, and Bush and his Republican backers are accusing Democrats of encouraging participation in Saturday's open primary just to make mischief.

But College of Charleston political scientist Bill Moore said McCain truly appeals to Democrats in South Carolina who are more conservative than the national party.

"There are a good number of South Carolina Democrats who say the Democratic Party has left them -- they haven't left the party," Moore said. "Those would be the Reagan Democrats who are attracted to McCain."

South Carolina does not register voters by party and any registered voter can cast a ballot Saturday. State Republican officials have said they hope to attract as many as 400,000 voters, up from 278,000 in 1996.

Independents and Democrats historically have not participated in large numbers. But the state's Democratic primary March 9 was canceled in favor of a caucus, giving McCain's camp even more reason to think Democrats and independents may turn out on Saturday.

"Reagan went outside the normal conservative, Republican activist base and brought other people to the table -- independents and Democrats," said Trey Walker, McCain's national field director and former South Carolina Republican Party executive director. "And that's what John McCain is doing now. That's how you win."

Sam Tenenbaum, for instance, circulates in the South Carolina Democratic Party hierarchy and has headed inauguration planning for Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges and former Gov. Richard Riley. Tenenbaum's wife, Inez, is state education superintendent and a leader in Vice President Al Gore's South Carolina effort.

Yet he also has given $1,000 to McCain's campaign.

Tenenbaum said he was impressed that McCain told Pat Buchanan he should leave the Republican Party because of Buchanan's views on Hitler and Nazi Germany. Tenenbaum also noted that the Arizona senator met with a group of gay Republicans to hear their concerns.

"Those two things alone said to me that this man has real character," Tenenbaum said. "He is talking about a bigger vision."

Independents and Democrats' dislike for Bush could drive them to the polls for McCain, said State Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian, pointing to Bush's recent appearance at Bob Jones University, which bans interracial dating.

They "do not want to vote for a candidate who appears on the Bob Jones stage with Dan Quayle and David Beasley," Harpootlian said. Beasley, a Republican, lost a bid for a second term to Hodges in 1998 despite then-Gov. Carroll Campbell's organizational support. Campbell is backing Bush.

Top Democrats toyed with the idea of mobilizing their voters to beat Bush, but say there is no organized effort to support McCain -- but they wouldn't mind if it happened.

"But it's not going to upset anybody close to Jim Hodges if Carroll Campbell gets another beating like he did in November 1998" when Beasley lost, said Kevin Geddings, Hodges' main political adviser and former chief of staff.