Unless Supt. of Ed. Jim Rex has an election leprechaun running around with a pot o’ gold and votes, it looks like Sen. Vince Sheheen can now be called the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor. Shortly after noon on Friday, attorney and lobbyist extraordinaire Dwight Drake ended his campaign.
I got into this race because I believed that South Carolina’s families deserved much more than they were getting from their Governor. We are facing the toughest times in a generation, and we can only take that on with dedicated, experienced leadership that is focused on putting our people back to work and building a better future for our kids. I have ambitious ideas for getting our state back on track, and I have the knowledge and experience to put those ideas into action.
But a statewide campaign for office is not just about these things. It also requires resources – campaign dollars to run in a competitive primary and in a competitive general election.
This comes on the heels of former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mullins McLeod dropping out of the race and endorsing Sheheen. As of now, Drake has not announced an endorsement, but anybody paying attention to the race knows the Democratic race has been decided.
They say you shouldn’t talk politics at the bar. But, when every waking moment is spent dealing with politics — and a number of slumbering ones (don’t even say you haven’t had a dream about legislation or a campaign), it’s impossible not to talk shop.
Several years ago, we thought of doing something called “Drunk Pundit.” The idea would be that we’d be outside a bar, or on a back deck, dressed in a suit and a fedora, and talk some random bullshit about a leading topic of the day. A friend of ours came up with the idea after a few nights of going out to bars and noticing we could pull together a brilliant Lewis Black-esque takedown. Needless to say, that idea never came to fruition.
Then there was the plan with this site to go to a random local bar with an elected official/consultant/lobbyist and do something similar, but that didn’t go as planned, either. Fortunately, consultant and Senate Republican Caucus political director Wesley Donehue had a similar idea, and this one worked.
The idea, called, “Happy Hour,” includes a point-counterpoint idea. The first one featured Donehue and Senate Democratic Caucus director Phil Bailey at Flying Saucer in the Vista.
Today, Lowcountry attorney Mullins McLeod abandoned his race for governor and endorsed the campaign of his rival, Sen. Vince Sheheen. They, and prominent Democratic activists and a few elected officials — Sens. Joel Lourie and Brad Hutto, and Reps. Laurie Slade Funderburk and Anton Gunn — gathered at S.C. Democratic Party headquarters for the event. Sheheen’s father, Fred Sheheen, was also in attendence.
In a statement announcing his intentions, McLeod said, “For the sake of our state and our party’s chances in November, I will not allow those seeking change to endure a divisive primary battle between candidates fighting for the same thing. There’s simply too much at risk. A Bauer, McMaster, Barrett or Haley in the Governor’s office would do what we have seen done in the past- they would forget about the everyday folks in South Carolina and concentrate on the status quo. We cannot let this happen.”
He continued, “Today, I am ending my candidacy for Governor and I will not seek any elected office in 2010. Instead, I will continue to fight for those families and I will continue to fight for change by endorsing and campaigning for Vincent Sheheen.”
The pair received a standing ovation after McLeod’s comments, as he put on a Sheheen lapel sticker when he stepped away from the podium.
Sheheen appeared gracious in taking the endorsement from one his his chief rivals, saying, “Both Mullins and I believe that it’s time for new ideas and a new generation of leadership in the governor’s office. We share a vision for a South Carolina with strong public schools, well-paying jobs, and a government that works for the people. I’m grateful to have Mullins on our team as we work to restore hope in South Carolina and make our state a place we can be proud of again.”
Whether or not Supt. of Ed. Jim Rex or Sen. Robert Ford would like to admit it, the race is essentially between Sheheen and attorney Dwight Drake. Drake congratulated McLeod on his efforts, then said in a statement, “The choice in this election is now even more clear. While my other opponents have spent time ignoring the state’s mounting fiscal problems and our rising unemployment, I have a proven record of getting things done and creating jobs.”
McLeod leaves the race with the second-most cash-on-hand. He said that his campaign is still deciding what will be done with the money still in his account. And though anything could happen between now and the primary, the smart money is on Sheheen to become the Democratic nominee.
That was unexpected. The S.C. Democratic Party is being sued by SC-03 candidate Brian “Ryan B” Doyle over alleged slights and improprieties. His attorney uses some stronger language, indicating lying by party officials and illegal actions. What stands out are a few things.
One is the inclusion of an unnamed defendant, a “State Representative John Doe.” If you’re unfamiliar with Democratic politics in Aiken County over the past few years, it’s pretty plain that John Doe is really Rep. Bill Clyburn. This is an outgrowth of earlier issues down there. Some things went down in the Senate District 25 primary last year when Doyle went on the radio supporting Travis Johnson, who was challenging Greg Anderson for the nomination. That started a mess of allegations. We think that Sen. Shane Massey didn’t need the Democratic inside baseball to win the general election over Anderson, but whatever.
The thought seems to be a combination of racial politics and retribution for the ‘08 shenanigans led to the state party to delay putting his name up on the site next to Jane Dyer’s, and refusal to share the SC-03 voter file. We’re not sure what motive the party would have to not share the voter file, unless it was simple inertia or the allegations contain some measure of truth.
The other interesting thing is an outright indictment of the SCDP as it comes to minority candidates. The complaint says that the state power structure, including the SCDP, is only interested in minority candidates if those candidates buy in to the establishment interest of “money and power” versus the everyday voter.
Regardless of the veracity of the claims, it makes for a damn interesting read.
Doyle v. The South Carolina Democratic Party, et. al.
(It was sent out upside down, so just rotate it in your PDF program of choice.)
President Abe Lincoln has got his $5-bill hat worn to the side because he’s laid back, like the state parties’ financial operations, at least dealing with the Federal accounts, in November. There was a little fundraising, usual payments, a little action to stay active, but nothing that screamed out anything interesting. Except, that is, a poll paid for by the Democrats. That looked interesting.
S.C. DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Contributions: $90,565.14
Expenditures: $78,397.16
Cash-on-hand: $54,371.22
Contributions of note
Marguerite Willis, $500
Attorney, Nexsen Pruet
Lawrence Chewning Jr., $500
Oral surgeon, Chewning & McDonald
Stephen Wukela, $1,000
Attorney, Wukela Law Firm
Ronald Maxwell, $1,000
Attorney, Maxwell Law Firm
Sun City Hilton Head Democratic Club, $1,000
Local party
Joe Erwin, $1,000
Former S.C. Democratic Party chairman
Charles Patrick, $1,000
Attorney; Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brick
General Electric PAC, $2,500
Corporate PAC
AREVA, COGEMA, Framatome ANP PAC, $1,500
Nuclear energy PAC
IBEW-COPE, $2,500
Electrical workers’ PAC
Expenditures of note
Schedule B
Brilliant Corners (research consultant), $30,000
Schedule H4
American Airlines (airfare), $207.70
ResultsMail (email marketing), $625
S.C. REPUBLICAN PARTY
Contributions: $46,329
Expenditures: $38,843
Cash-on-hand: $39,936.30
Contributions of note
Mary Davis, $500
Retired
First Command PAC, $5,000
Financial services PAC
Shirley Knox, $1,000
Homemaker
Expenditures of note
Schedule B
On The Mark (printing), $9,470.90
Under The Power Lines (Web services), $2,000
Homeyer Strategy Group (fundraising consulting), $2,500
Fisherman’s Wharf Sheraton (lodging), $1,013.72
US Airways (airfare), $674.80
Schedule H4
New Level Strategies (communications consulting), $3,750
Northbound Design (Web design), $2,899
Going into November, the S.C. Democratic Party raised more money spent less money and had more cash on hand in its federal account than its counterpart at the S.C. Republican Party, but didn’t do much with it. The Republicans, on the other hand, were pretty active on the Internet, printing, polling and fundraising.
S.C. REPUBLICAN PARTY
Contributions: $34,484.51
Expenditures: $62,340.61
Cash on Hand: $32,450.34
Contributions of note
None.
Expenditures of note
Schedule B
Drea Byars (fundraising consulting), $2,600
FLS Connect LLC (fundraising), $2,169.05
On The Mark (printing), $1,798.20
Under The Power Lines (Web services), $2,000, $6,000
Direct Mail Systems (direct mail), $1,694.09, $2,688
Schedule H4
Gadsden & Greene Strategies (letterhead and envelopes), $520
New Level Strategies LLC (media services), $3,750
Northbound Design (Web design), $2,396
Richard Quinn & Associates (survey research), $12,250
Under The Power Lines (media services), $200
S.C. DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Contributions: $60,370.30
Expenditures: $46,566.17
Cash on Hand: $42,203.24
Contributions of note
New Jersey Democratic State Committee, $25,000
Expenditures of note
None.
Numbers from the October monthly federal fund disclosures revel that the S.C. Republican Party holds a money lead on its Democratic counterparts by more than two-to-one. The SCGOP also raised more money than the S.C. Democratic Party over the period, though the Democrats spent more.
S.C. REPUBLICAN PARTY
Contributions: $37,075.03
Expenditures: $40,347.96
Cash on Hand: $60,306.44
Notable contributions
Tobin Cassels, $2,500
President, Southeastern Freight Lines
William Tobin Cassels, $2,500
CEO, Southeastern Freight Lines
Nelson Mullins, $1,000
Law firm
SCANA Corporation Federal PAC, $5,000
Energy PAC
Notable disbursements
Direct Mail Service (direct mail), $2,871.56, $454
Homeyer Strategy Group (fundraising consulting), $2,500
Richard Quinn & Associates (survey research), $3,250
Under the Power Lines (Web services), $2,000, $415
Jump! Media Services (Web services), $370
Grand Hyatt Washington (lodging), $1,306.34, $867.96
Sam Holland Photography (photography, Silver Elephant), $2,186.50
S.C. DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Contributions: $26,171.34
Expenditures: $49,722.75
Cash on Hand: $28,399.11
Notable contributions
Walt McLeod, $50
State representative
Jay Cox, $1,000
President, Tuomey Healthcare Systems
DNC, $5,000 (transfer)
National committee
Unitemized Contributions/Dollars for Democrats, $24,249
Notable expenditures
ResultsMail (email marketing) $522.30
First off, Charleston attorney and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mullins McLeod put up an online petition asking for Gov. Mark Sanford to resign. Most people saw through his petition as a way to gain names and email addresses among people who want the Governor to step down, and who are sympathetic to Democratic gubernatorial candidates.
Hey, it worked. Good, for McLeod. But, a good turn deserves a copy. So, Columbia lobbyist Dwight Drake has started a petition of his own. This one requests a number of S.C. constitutional officers to impeach our total failure of a governor. The following is what appears on Drake’s Web site:
The South Carolina Constitution provides for the removal of a Governor who is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
According to Article IV, Section 12 (2), the state’s four constitutional officers – the attorney general, the secretary of state, the comptroller general and the state treasurer – can make that decision and make that declaration to the General Assembly. In fact, it only takes a simple majority of three to decide, then the General Assembly would need a 2/3 majority vote and he would be removed from office.
Yesterday I called on the Constitutional Officers to declare the Governor unable to serve, and begin the process of removal from office, Unfortunately, they haven’t gotten the message. They need to hear from you.
If you have had enough, if you’re tired of the sideshow, if you want to get our state moving again, then please sign the petition and send a message that Sanford can no longer serve.
We’ll be looking for something interesting happening in the near future.
Columbia lobbyist Dwight Drake opened his bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination with $108,600 on hand, raising $61,500 over an indeterminate span of time (all checks were reported as coming in Aug. 11). He then dropped $50,000 of his own cash into the race — no small feat.
The contributor list consisted of your standard fare of Democratic donors, as in it was attorney-heavy, with a few others thrown in. What it does say is that if a guy is dropping 50 large (straight-up, no loan), then he’s not messing around.
The only expenditure was to NGP Software.
SUMMARY
Contributions: $111,500
Expenditures: $2,900
Cash on Hand: $108,600
It didn’t take too long, and now there’s a parody Twitter account to poke at Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dwight Drake. One would think it’s coming from one of his rivals, but since no one has yet to unmask @SCLegislator, it will probably take an inside source to leak who is behind this one.
The account went live Wednesday, as @notdwightdrake. It appears it will hammer him on his lobbying activity, with the bio being, “I want to be your next governor. I mean, I’m an uberlobbyist and the ultimate insider, what could go wrong?” We would have used umlauts for “überlobbyist,” but whatever works.
Drake is the heavy in the primary, so along with his obvious weaknesses come obvious strengths, which is undoubtedly why he was recruited for the office. It also means he has a big bull’s-eye painted on his back, which is why we’ll see more tweets like this:
