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Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 09:14 PM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

Unintended consequence of Petition Candidate Could Help Democrat

Thomas-Ravenel---6-18-14State Senator Brad Hutto won the Democrat primary for United States Senate with 76 percent of the vote. U. S. Senator Lindsey Graham won the Republican primary with only 56 percent of the vote, however his vote total doubled that of Hutto. The apparent crossover Democrat votes for Graham do not bode well for Hutto in the General Election.

Charleston real estate developer turned actor, Thomas Ravenel, is threatening to enter the race challenging Graham as an independent petition candidate. The former Republican statewide office holder who resigned due to drug charges has support in the Upstate, although his base of operations is in Charleston.

Greenville County Republican activist Chris Lawton has informed friends that he is working for the Ravenel campaign and has formally resigned his Executive Committee position with the Greenville County and South Carolina Republican Party.

Senator Graham made national headlines by defeating six challengers in the GOP primary. State Senator Lee Bright was his leading opponent with 15 percent of the vote. None of the other five challengers broke the double digit barrier.

Nancy  Mace, the only female challenger, was the first woman to graduate from the Citadel where her father headed the college. She outspent the other challengers and was the only candidate to launch a public personal attack on another Graham challenger. Mace received only 6 percent of the vote.

Bill Connor was considered by many to be the best qualified and well-known of the Graham Challengers. Connor was a former unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor and was the only military veteran in the race other than Graham who serves in the reserves as a military  lawyer. Connor received a disappointing five percent of the vote.

Richard Cash received eight percent of the vote and placed third after Graham and Bright.

The South Carolina open primary and a huge bank account clearly benefited the Graham Campaign. The national media pundits attempt to rationalize the race without understanding South Carolina politics.

Lieutenant Governor

Henry McMaster will face Mike Campbell in a June 24 runoff. McMaster entered the race late but his name recognition propelled him to a lead over three opponents. Pat McKinney, who campaigned long and hard withdrew from the race citing personal reasons, although he had a small lead over Campbell.

All four of the candidates for Lieutenant Governor described themselves as conservative. Ray Moore, the true conservative in the race received only eight percent of the vote.

Local Races

All members of the Greenville County Legislative Delegation won their primary races.

Greenville County Council member Willis Meadows was the only incumbent of Council with a primary challenge. He easily won with 58 percent of the vote.

Lynn  Ballard and Todd Frederick will be in a runoff for the open seat in Council District 26.

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