Divided loyalties in one S.C. couple

By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Jerry and Tina Glover arrived at their polling place at West Ashley Middle School this morning with their two young sons and a bad case of his-and-hers indecision.

After long conversations at home and at the Sunday school of their evangelical church about whether to support John McCain or Mike Huckabee, the couple split ways and made up their minds individually in the privacy of separate voting booths. Their first questions for each other after having cast ballots: "Who'd you vote for?"

"I thought he would say McCain and he thought I would say Huckabee," said Tina Glover.

In the end, the Glover household split the other way. Tina, a 42-year old stay-at-home mother, voted for McCain. Jerry, a 38-year old engineer who works at a US Marines command center, picked Huckabee. She likes electability, he went straight for a candidate with strong religious beliefs.

"We like them both, so we’re comfortable with either one winning," Jerry said.

They stuck around after voting as their the two boys, ages four and two and nonetheless wearing "I Voted" stickers, rambled through the bleachers of the school gym. For the older one, the day marked the denouement of the only political era he has experienced.

"Ethan is old enough to know Bush. We call him 'Dubya.' " said Tina. "He doesn’t understand why President Bush has to leave. He says, 'Why do we need a new president?' "