Wednesday, December 28, 2011
GOP Primary loser makes third-party effort.
Correction, 10:51 p.m., Dec. 28: This story originally led with South Carolina's sore loser statute and the complications it could present for Gary Johnson's Libertarian nomination. The sore loser statute does not apply to presidential races. Gary Johnson announced Wednesday that he would seek the Libertarian nomination after a failed attempt to spark interest in the GOP Primary. And he stressed a 50-state vision. "Being on the ballot in all 50 states in the general election — I cannot downplay how significant that is at this time in our country's history," Johnson said. Cliff Warner, Johnson's campaign leader in the South, said the GOP has let conservative voters down. "I personally believe there are a lot of people looking for a third …
Friday, December 16, 2011
Political activists, watchers responds to the S.C. governor's support of the former Massachusetts governor.
Most candidates are devoting the final weeks before the primaries stumping for votes in hot contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. But former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney will be spending the weekend in South Carolina, taking a victory lap after the prize endorsement from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. It was a decision that likely surprised Haley's Tea Party supporters, said Jeri Cabot, adjunct professor of political science at the College of Charleston. Romney's ideology doesn't match with many of the conservative voters that rallied behind Haley against established GOP leaders in the 2010 gubernatorial race. "Romney doesn't have a Palin outlook," said Cabot. That said, Haley's endorsement will have legs, appearing after every reference to …
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The State: S.C. native talks with S.C. GOP fell through.
Charleston native Stephen Colbert is back to playfully meddle in South Carolina's political primaries — this time offering big bucks for the naming rights of the GOP Primary and to get a question on the ballot poking fun at GOP primary candidate Mitt Romney. The State is reporting that Colbert met with Republican Party leaders in South Carolina. The state GOP, trying to raise money to pay for the primary, eventually declined to name the primary “The Colbert Nation Super PAC Presidential Primary.” The host of a satirical news program on Comedy Central, Colbert's faux conservative character made a splash in the 2008 primary with his failed attempt to get his name on the South Carolina primary ballot. He's not just stopping with an attempt to…
Monday, November 28, 2011
Candidate tries to block criticism from opponents.
Newt Gingrich tried Monday to assuage concerns on the right that he was less than hawkish on illegal immigration, laying out a platform nearly as strong as his GOP Presidential Primary opponents. But he continues to support allowing long-time illegals who have put down roots in U.S. communities to stay in the country under a permanent resident status. At a town hall event in Charleston, S.C., with U.S. Rep. Tim Scott, Gingrich first stressed his support for the state's new immigration reform law and requirements that suspected illegal immigrants prove their residency when challenged by police. The policy has been challenged by the U.S. Justice Department, questioning a state's right to create immigration policy. In one of several attacks …
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Consultant will aid S.C. efforts, national internet strategy.
South Carolina political consultant Wesley Donehue has joined Michele Bachmann's 2012 GOP Presidential Primary campaign. He'll serve as an adviser and communications director in the Palmetto State for the Minnesota congresswoman and assist the national new media team, according to the campaign. After Bachmann's strong showing early in the race, other campaigns have pulled attention away. An established name in South Carolina political circles may be what she needs to spark fresh interest and show that she expects to make it to the third big contest in the nominating process. Raised in Goose Creek, Donehue runs his own political consulting and internet firm in Columbia, Donehue Direct, and he has served as a spokesman for the S.C. Senate's…
Friday, October 28, 2011
Presidential candidate will visit Lowcountry, Grand Strand, Spartanburg and Rock Hill.
GOP Presidential Primary candidate Jon Huntsman will be crossing South Carolina over three days next week. A former Utah governor and former ambassador to China, Huntsman made headlines in South Carolina soon after his entrance in the race. He hired key Palmetto State consultants and received endorsements from former Attorney General Henry McMaster, current Attorney General Alan Wilson and the family of Gov. Carroll Campbell. But the campaign has struggled to find success here and in other states, and has recently focused almost all of its attention on the make-or-break New Hampshire primary. Huntsman's trip to S.C. will begin with a Presidential Town Hall hosted by state Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) at 2 p.m. Wednesday at The Pavilion at …
Friday, September 30, 2011
Candidate is best positioned for a win, but he's got to work.
South Carolina experts say Texas Gov. Rick Perry may be in the best position to win the ground game in Palmetto State but the late entrant into the race still has a lot of work to do. As the typical third big contest of the primary season, and possibly the first in the South, South Carolina could swing a lot of national momentum. Several candidates are reportedly hoping to win Iowa or New Hampshire, and then pull ahead of the pack with a strong showing in South Carolina. "The [South Carolina] primary gives the impression that someone can win an election nationally," said Robert Oldendick, the director of the University of South Carolina's Institute for Public Service and Policy Research in Columbia. Oldendick noted that South Carolina is …
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
State party Chair Chad Connelly: Florida jockeying won't work.
Update: Politico is reporting that S.C. GOP Chair Chad Connelly will not be announcing the S.C. Primary date Thursday, as he had planned. Instead, he is expected to issue a statement that the state will work with the other early primary states to perserve South Carolina's status as First in the South. Politico also notes that Florida is getting pressure to move no earlier than Feb. 21. This story is also updated to note that the S.C. State Election Commission has expected a primary date by Oct. 1, but doesn't need a date from the state's Republican Party until Dec. 1. Original Reporting: The GOP presidential primary in South Carolina will likely be pushed into January after news on Wednesday that Florida is expected to move its primary to …
Greg Hambrick
11:06 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thanks for noting that Richard. The correction has been made. more ›