Saturday, May 4, 2013
Harrison is first African-American elected to lead SCDP; Connelly re-elected by SCGOP.
The major political parties in South Carolina held their biannual conventions in Columbia on Saturday. The most significant outcome was the election of Jaime Harrison as the Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Harrison becomes the first African-American to lead a party in the state. Despite the fact that it holds all but one of the seats in the Congressional delegation and all of the constitutional offices, the Republicans gathering was decidedly more contentious. In the weeks leading up to the convention, a rift developed within the party against Chad Connelly, who was running again for state chair. The opposition to Connelly was centered in the Upstate and among some liberty activists. Critics of Connelly pointed to the …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
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 …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Annual event will be held opposite Democratic Convention and Jefferson-Jackson dinner.
The South Carolina Republican Party announced on Thursday that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will be the keynote speaker at its 46th annual Silver Elephant Celebration on May 3. The night's program will feature a tribute to former SC Sen. Jim DeMint who resigned in December to head the Heritage Foundation. The Silver Elephant Celebration is a South Carolina tradition celebrating the state’s vibrant Republican Party, with past speakers including: Ronald Reagan, John McCain and Newt Gingrich. Marco Rubio spoke last year. “The Silver Elephant Celebration has a storied tradition of bringing the brightest stars in the GOP to South Carolina – many of whom have run for national office. Reflecting on that tradition, we felt that Senator Ted Cruz was a …
Monday, March 18, 2013
Palmetto State had a prominent seat at the table.
After every presidential year, the losing party retreats into conference to plot a path towards winning the races it just lost. 2012 was no different. What was different was the way in which Democrats defeated Republicans at the polls. Despite high unemployment and economic sluggishness, Barack Obama was easily re-elected, winning by five million votes over Mitt Romney. At the start of 2012, the GOP thought it could win a majority in the Senate. It ended up losing seats. In the House, the Republicans kept the majority, but a few of the most extreme members, such as Allen West of Florida and Joe Walsh of Illinois were bounced from office. The closer the numbers were looked at, the worse the picture became. Republicans have a serious problem…
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Tea Party and SCGOP at odds again.
The rift that blew open the Republican Party nationally appears to have made its way to South Carolina. Since its inception in 2009, and its demand for more conservative representation, the Tea Party has had an uneasy relationship with the Republican Party. The two have generally managed to co-exist, especially after a wave of Tea Party-backed candidates enabled Republicans to take back the House of Representatives in 2010. But in the wake of Barack Obama’s re-election and the loss of numerous other winnable races, the Republican Party is in the midst of a well-publicized rethink. In South Carolina, the GOP needed no such head-scratching. From an electoral standpoint, the party is as strong as ever in the Palmetto State. That stability …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Will pursue a second term.
In an email message on Tuesday, Chad Connelly announced he will seek re-election as Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. In his message, Connelly notes the numerous challenges the SCGOP in the past two years. Here it is in full: Two years ago, I entered the race for Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party with a promise to bring leadership and vision to our battle for the heart and the soul of the Republican Party. As I traveled to every county in the state, I met with so many party leaders and grassroots activists like you who spend your time, money, and energy to make our state and country a better place. Over the past two years, we recommitted to our party, our platform, and our purpose. We maintained our First in …
Friday, January 18, 2013
She gives the Democrats a proverbial puncher's chance.
Known by non-locals because of her famous brother, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch has deep ties to the Lowcountry. For some, the decision by Colbert-Busch (she pronounces the “t”) to enter the political arena came as a surprise. But, she has deep ties to the area and has been engaged in the fabric of the Lowcountry for decades. She was born in 1954, to a family with 11 children and has stared personal tragedy in the face. When she was 19, her father and two of her brothers were killed in a plane crash. Known to friends and family as "Lulu," Colbert-Busch graduated from the College of Charleston and married a man who ended up being convicted of securities fraud after being featured on “America’s Most Wanted.” She eventually met and married Claus …
Friday, October 19, 2012
S.C. Democratic Party 'Commit to Vote' flier originally listed two forms of identification only accepted for registering to vote.
A flier circulated by the S.C. Democratic Party in Dorchester County asks voters to "Commit to Vote." But it also originally offered incorrect information on voter identification. The SCDP sent Patch the following clarification: "A few dozen voters in Dorchester County received Commit to Vote cards with information that stated you could use a cell phone, utility bill or student ID to vote. Those forms of ID can only be used by those who registered by mail and didn't include a copy of their identification. Everyone who received these cards has or will be notified of the error. The South Carolina Democratic Party hopes everyone will go to the polls on November 6 and it's important to know the Voter ID law hasn't been enacted for this …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Chairman Chad Connelly given authority to intervene in ballot issues.
The South Carolina Republican party is “unified” according to Executive Director Matt Moore after a session between the party’s executive committee and chairman Chad Connelly on Tuesday night in Columbia. The meeting was called after the executive committee expressed concerns about Connelly’s intervention in the race for the District 3 house seat in Pickens County. As a result of the meeting, the executive committee will now support Connelly’s decision. In the District 3 race, incumbent B.R. Skelton was narrowly defeated by Ed Harris in the primary on June 12. After his loss, Skelton filed an appeal with the executive committee, accusing Harris of filing improperly and therefore being ineligible. But the executive committee rejected …
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
A second S.C. Supreme Court ruling has kicked more candidates off ballots across the state
The South Carolina Supreme Court threw more candidates off of ballots across the state Tuesday when it ruled the Florence County Republican Party had not complied with its earlier ruling removing nearly 200 candidates from ballots. And now party leaders and election officials across the state are scrambling to understand the impact. In Charleston County, Democrat Carol Tempel was initially certified by the county party following the initial court ruling, but following Tuesday's decision, Tempel announced she was droping out of the race for S.C. House District 115. "The Supreme Court could not have been more clear in their ruling yesterday. If candidates did not file properly, they should not be on the ballot. I accept full responsibility …
Shawn Drury
11:43 pm on Saturday, May 4, 2013
Rusty, You are correct. I used the wrong principal. (subsequently corrected). SD more ›