Monday, May 6, 2013
Federal officials to be present at locations in Charleston County.
The United States Department of Justice sent a press release on Monday afternoon to confirm that it will monitor the race between Mark Sanford, Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Eugene Platt for the First Congressional District Seat. Federal officials will be present in Charleston County to assure the election complies with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. An election in Mississippi will also be monitored. The department's full release: The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on May 7, 2013, in the towns of Clarksdale, Como and Ruleville, Miss., and in Charleston County, S.C., to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis …
All you need to know about the past, present and future of the race for South Carolina's First Congressional District.
9:15 a.m. Update: Former Gov. Mark Sanford didn't need forgiveness to win Tuesday's special election. Which is good, because he didn't get it. But that doesn't mean he didn't know how to win. See how the Comeback Kid made it happen. His opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, meanwhile, was unable to take advantage of the loads of media hype and attention her campaign received. In fact, the political novice avoided engaging Sanford on many topics or in the media. See what she told supporters on Tuesday night. 8:30 p.m. Update: With 71 percent of the precincts reporting, CNN and the Associated Press have projected Mark Sanford as the winner in Tuesday's special election for the First Congressional District. 7 p.m. Update: The polls are now …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Public Policy Polling shows the former governor with a one point lead.
CHARLESTON, SC -- The last poll before Tuesday’s election in the First Congressional District shows former Gov. Mark Sanford ahead of Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch by one percentage point. The results from Public Policy Polling (PPP) show that Sanford has recovered from the contempt of court charges that wobbled his campaign last month. He leads Colbert Busch by 47 to 46 percent. The Green Party’s Eugene Platt drew four percent of the support. The margin of error was is +/-2.8 percent, which means the race is effectively a dead heat. According to PPP, 1,239 likely voters were surveyed on May 4th and 5th. Aside from the head-to-head match-up the key figures were with respect to favorability. Exactly half of those surveyed had a favorable…
To take SC1 Elizabeth Colbert Busch needs the right voters, Mark Sanford needs more of them.
The race that has received media attention worthy of a presidential primary comes to an end Monday. From the time Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch announced their candidacies for the First Congressional District seat they were the favorites in their respective primaries. Colbert Busch’s road to the Democratic nomination was smooth. She won more than 90 percent of the vote and was able to raise money and work on her public speaking skills while also crafting policy positions. If she loses, critics will say her team was too slow in getting her in front of large numbers of voters and making clear those policy positions. While Colbert Busch was easing into life as a political candidate, Sanford was slugging it out with 15 Republicans. …
Paper endorsed Tim Scott and Mitt Romney in November.
The largest newspaper in the First Congressional District has endorsed Elizabeth Colbert Busch for Congress. In Sunday's edition the Post and Courier proclaimed Colbert Busch "a new leader for the Lowcountry." In explaining its decision, the paper made only passing reference to "Sanford fatigue" brought about by former Gov. Mark Sanford's presence as Colbert Busch's opposition. Instead, the paper stated a preference for Colbert Busch's "balanced alternative" to that of Sanford in getting Washington's fiscal house in order. Given that Election Day is just two days away, the endorsement should energize Colbert Busch's supporters. The Post and Courier is thought to be a right leaning publication and endorsed Mitt Romney and Tim Scott for …
Friday, May 3, 2013
They believe that her victory would continue nationwide momentum.
Like a lot of people last Election Day, Mark McKinney had to wait a while to vote. Two hours, in fact. So, he struck up a conversation with the woman in line next to him. In the course of chatting, McKinney told the woman that he had been with his partner for 22 years and was impressed when the woman did not care that the partner was the man standing beside him. The time passed quickly. “We talked about everything,” McKinney said. “We thought, ‘Wow, what a great person that was.’” The person, it turns out, was Elizabeth Colbert Busch, who has a chance to become the First District’s representative in Congress on Tuesday. Even if he had not had that personal experience with Colbert Busch, McKinney told Patch that he would be supporting her …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Red Racing Horses released poll today.
A right-leaning poll released Thursday shows the First Congressional District race between Republican Mark Sanford and Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch to be tied. Red Racing Horses shows both candidates at 46 percent with seven percent of the voters still undecided. The poll has a margin of error of five percent. The poll was conducted between April 29 and May 1, which means some portions of it were after the candidates' first and only debate on Monday. The pollsters contacted 5,000 people in SC1 and asked six questions about the race. According to Red Racing Horses respondents "that indicated a disinclination to vote on May 7 or did not complete the six-question survey were not counted as part of the results." Sanford had a five percent …
Texas Senator Ted Cruz to speak to SCGOP and both parties will hold statewide conventions.
A visit by Vice President Joe Biden highlights one of the biggest political weekends of the year in the Palmetto State. Biden will be the feature speaker at South Carolina Democratic Party's Jefferson - Jackson Dinner which takes place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The dinner starts at 7 p.m. and Biden is expected to speak at 8 p.m. From there Biden will go to Rep. Jim Clyburn's Fish Fry. The vice president has not ruled out a run for president in 2016. So, in addition to helping raise money for state Democrats, he could also be planting the seeds for a strong showing in the state primary three years from now. Not far away from where Biden will be, the Republicans will be having their Silver Elephant Celebration, which …
Both spots talk about spending.
The First Congressional District race is about to enter its final weekend and Republican Mark Sanford and Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch are stating their cases one last time to voters by way of new television commercials. Sanford's ad references the direction of the country and, as he has done so often in the race, tries to link Colbert Busch to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Colbert Busch's spot doesn't mention Sanford at all. Instead, she calls for a balanced budget amendment and an end to special interest earmarks. As she did in Monday's debate, Colbert Busch again pledged to return 10 percent of her salary to the Treasury. Election Day is next Tuesday. Keep up with all of Patch's coverage of South Carolina politics by …
Outside groups begin advocating for their candidates via television ads.
Though a possible matchup between the two is more than a year away, third party groups supporting Gov. Nikki Haley and Democrat Vincent Sheheen began advertising this week. The Movement Fund, a PAC supporting Haley, released an ad slamming Sheheen for supporting Obamacare. SC Democratic Party Chair Dick Harpootlian said last week of Haley's ad, "She's trying to make chicken 'doo-doo" into chicken salad and the people of South Carolina aren't interested in tasting it." Meanwhile the Democratic Governor's Association released a longer criticizing Haley for creating a "gallery of corruption." Both ads can be viewed above. Keep up with all of Patch's coverage of South Carolina politics by following us on Facebook HERE and Twitter HERE.
Jim Tillman
6:58 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Were you Mockerying me? I was commenting on a truthful fact. I was too young to vote in 1965. You have no idea what image I have achieved or what reputation I have earned. Slandering should be reserved for MSNBC. more ›