McGowan out, DeMint cruising to reelection

If there’s a Democrat in this state that is actually optimistic about the party’s chances in Congressional elections, they’re probably on drugs. Wednesday, the Democratic contender against U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, pulled out of the race unexpectedly. We thought Chad McGowan was going to go all the way as the sacrificial donkey, but he made the right decision.

In a statement released during the afternoon, he said:

I’ve come to the conclusion that now is the wrong time for me to mount a successful campaign for the United States Senate. The demands of a young family place a premium on every minute. There is nothing more important to me than my wife and three small children. In order to fulfill my duties as a husband and a father, I’ll be leaving the race for United States Senate effective immediately. A few years from now, the kids will be older and in a phase of life that can tolerate the demands of a successful run. In the meantime, I’d like to thank my supporters for standing tall with me thus far, but ask that they understand that my kids come first and they need me at home. I am still very much committed to the cause of fixing our broken political system, and will be fighting from the sidelines to defeat Jim DeMint and others who think South Carolina’s best days are behind us.

We thought McGowan never had a chance. Success for him, in our book, would be getting the spread under 10 points, and even that was unlikely. As of the last disclosures, he had about $91,000 in the bank, compared to DeMint’s $3 million-plus. Facing a 33-1 money disadvantage and running against a popular Republican in a conservative state in a Republican cycle all added up to epic failure.

If we were McGowan, we’d sit out this cycle, too.