State Party Exercises Discretion, Re-Opens Filing Period for 48 Hours
Greenville County Republicans were stunned when they learned over the weekend that their popular conservative State Senator Phil Shoopman was suddenly withdrawing his name from consideration in the upcoming Republican Primary in Senate District 5. The announcement came only three weeks after filing for re-election.
Shoopman, a Blue Ridge resident confirmed to The Times Examiner, Sunday evening, that he had notified SC GOP Chair Chad Connelly earlier in the day that he was withdrawing from the race because, “It has become obvious that I cannot continue to provide the desired level of service and maintain adequate time with my family and private work.”
Shoopman is a self-employed Professional Consulting Engineer. He and his wife Dawn have two young school age children.
Shoopman said he would “complete the current term so that the people of District 5 have a voice in the State Senate.” He concluded: “I am thankful for the six years of service the people of northern Greenville County have allowed me to provide.”
Shoopman’s withdrawal left only one candidate seeking the party nomination, Amanda Somers, a Greer business owner, longtime Upstate resident and and an apparent relative newcomer to the Republican Party.
Section 7-11-15 of the South Carolina Code of Laws states, “If after the closing of the time for filing statements of intention of candidacy, there are no more than two candidates for any one office and one or more of the candidates dies, or withdraws, the state or county committee, as the case may be, if the nomination is by political party primary or political party convention only may, in its discretion , afford opportunity for the entry of other candidates for the office involved; however, for the office of State House of Representatives or State Senator, the discretion must be exercised by the state committee.”
State Party Chairman Chad Connelly citing the provisions of the state law, on behalf of the State Executive Committee, ordered the Greenville and Spartanburg County Republican Party to accept statements of intention of candidacy between the periods of noon Monday, April 16th to noon Wednesday, April 18, 2012.
Almost immediately after the notice by Connelly was issued, Somers sent out a press release critical of the Connelly decision to reopen filing. The State Chairman had notified her on Sunday of the Shoopman withdrawal and his decision to reopen the filing period.
“The excitement from my supporters for wining the primary was short lived,” Somers said in her release. “As we discovered the final determination to re-open candidate filing appears to be a closed-door ruling. The decision came without notice, without an open forum, and is from the same leaders who champion transparency. If the story had not been leaked to the press, I do not know when I would have been notified.”
Somers sees allowing other candidates to file as, “yet another example of of what appears to be insiders cutting deals to preserve the ‘good old boy’ status quo.”
Concluding her press release, Somers said she plans, “to investigate the legality of Chairman Connelly’s decision to act on behalf of the entire committee as required in state law if filings are re-opened for state senate candidates.”
Filing was opened at noon on Monday as directed by Chairman Connelly. District 17 State House Member Tom Corbin filed for the senate seat during the afternoon. A possible third candidate made inquiries, but had not filed at press time Tuesday morning.
Both Corbin and Somers spoke briefly at a gathering of Republican Women in Spartanburg, Monday night.