Columbia , South Carolina ( CNN ) -- It 's September of 2014 , but Bakari Sellers is already getting calls and visits from the small crop of Democrats considering a 2016 presidential bid . Few voters outside South Carolina have heard of him . But he 's a young star in the state 's Democratic party , and as a key political figure in a pivotal early primary state , Sellers could play an outsized role in electing the next President . When Barack Obama won South Carolina 's 2008 presidential primary in blowout fashion , boosting his campaign after a devastating blow in New Hampshire , Sellers , then a 23-year old first-term state legislator , was in the crowd at his victory party , beaming . Sellers co-chaired Obama 's campaign in the early primary state , helping the then-senator go from long-shot to history-maker after vanquishing Hillary Clinton in the heavily African-American state . For Obama , having the Sellers name on his campaign steering committee did n't hurt : Bakari 's father , Cleveland Sellers , is a civil rights icon in the state , jailed in the aftermath of the 1968 `` Orangeburg Massacre '' in which three black students were killed by police . Today , at the advanced age of 29 , Sellers is serving his fourth term in the state house â€ ” and he 's being courted by the small crop of Democrats considering a 2016 presidential bid , including Vice President Joe Biden and Maryland Gov . Martin O'Malley . Hillary Clinton has yet to come calling , but the Ready For Hillary super PAC , eager to co-opt some of Obama 's 2008 magic in South Carolina , recently invited Sellers to headline a fundraiser for the group . Related : In South Carolina , Clinton 's forces try to tap Obama magic . But before the presidential campaign kicks off , Sellers has his own race to run . He 's on the ballot for lieutenant governor this fall , running against Henry McMaster , 67 , a former Attorney General and South Carolina GOP chairman . If he wins , Sellers would be the first African-American elected statewide since Reconstruction . But that 's a long-shot proposition for a Democrat in this GOP-leaning state â€ ” and that historic honor will likely go to Sen. Tim Scott , an African-American Republican who is seeking a first full-term this November and is running against token Democratic opposition . Sellers can be unusually blunt when lamenting the lack of support that down-ballot southern Democrats receive from the national party and donors . But he 's still in frequent touch with Democratic players in Washington â€ ” and will be in the 2016 conversation as a key endorser once the presidential primary season is underway . `` Hambycast '' caught up with him at Lizard 's Thicket , a famous meat-n-three in South Carolina that 's also a gathering place for hungry political types . Or just people who want some fish and grits . Related : Martin O'Malley moving political staff to South Carolina .
Hambycast is a weekly politics series featuring CNN 's Peter Hamby . CNN is a Democratic running for lieutenant governor in South Carolina 's . Sellers , weekly , is serving his first term in the state house .