COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Although South Carolina awarded its eight electoral votes to Republican John McCain, experts said the race for president was closer than usual.

McCain got about 54 percent of the vote in the state while Democrat Barack Obama picked up about 45 percent of the vote.

South Carolina voters under age 45 and those who identify as a moderate favored Obama, causing a closer than usual race in the traditionally Republican state.

McCain won Greenville County by a significant margin. The Republican candidate picked up 115,822 votes, which trumped Obama’s 70,618 votes.

A Greenville woman who told FOX Carolina she voted Republican on Tuesday said she is sad her candidate did not win, but she will support the newly elected president.

In South Carolina’s other two population centers, Obama won the night.

In Richland County, which includes the capitol of Columbia, Obama picked up 104,029 votes and McCain picked up 57,234.

In Charleston County, Obama won 35,323 votes which is a bit more than McCain’s 22,689 votes.