COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Many South Carolina Democrats say they plan to back Hillary Rodham Clinton in the South's first presidential primary next year.

But that's not stopping them from giving a warm welcome at the state convention to liberals Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders — who may challenge her in the 2016 race.

O'Malley is promoting his record of increasing education spending and raising the minimum wage while Maryland governor. He favors more aggressive banking rules and friendlier student loan policies.

Sanders — a Vermont senator who identifies himself as a democratic socialist — is critical of an economic and political structure that concentrates wealth among a few corporations and individuals.

Clinton wasn't at the convention, but in a video sticks to her campaign theme of being a "champion" for the middle class.