Additional Announced Candidates: Rep. Tommy Pope, Rep. Ralph Norman, Tom Mullikin, Sheri Few and Kris Wampler

Chad Connelly has been a controversial figure in an issue of great importance to SC Republicans.

The smooth-talking politician who scuttled the efforts by the Greenville County Republican Party Executive Committee that had financed a lawsuit to bring about closed party primaries in South Carolina has thrown his proverbial hat into the already crowded Fifth Congressional District Primary Race.  

The congressional seat is being vacated by Rep. Mick Mulvaney who is awaiting Senate confirmation as director of the Office of Management and Budget of the Trump Administration.

 

Vince Coakley of the Upstate’s Talk Station WORD 106.3 asked Connelly about his present position on closed party primaries.  In Monday’s interview Chad implied that he supported closed primaries.  In response to further questioning he said the lawsuit had
been dropped to avoid additional expenditures to the state party.

The cost of the lawsuit had been born by the Greenville Republican Party Executive Committee with pro bono work by its lawyers.  As far as the Financial Disclosure Statements by the Republican party filed with the Ethics Committee, there is no record of state-level expenditures.

Connelly, without a vote by the executive committee and without consulting with the lawyers representing the Greenville County suit made his last order of business as SC Party Chairman the dismissal of the partisan lawsuit when he had no legal standing as he was not a plaintiff in the suit. His actions resulted in the immediate termination of the lawsuit ending the first working effort to secure protected primary elections.  He single-handedly did what the democrats and third parties only hoped to do.

In addition to Connelly, State Rep. Tommy Pope, State Rep. Ralph Norman, State Guard commander Tom Mullikin, education activist Sheri Few and attorney Kris Wampler have also announced their intent to run for the seat.

The date for the primary will be announced when Mulvaney resigns from his 5th District Congressional  seat.

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