The word among people in the know is that Karen Floyd, the presumptive next chairman of the S.C. Republican Party, has already selected her chief lieutenant.
Ryan Meerstein, who South Carolinians might remember as the state director of the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign, has been in Spartanburg helping Floyd recently and is widely assumed to be the SCGOP’s next executive director. Last year, he worked three other places in addition to the Giuliani campaign, including being the Ohio state director for the McCain-Palin ticket, but was suffering the post-cycle unemployment blues before Floyd brought him in.
According to those wonderful kids at George Washington University, Meerstein worked with the RNC on Sen. Bob Corker’s campaign in 2006 and was an RNC field director in Ohio in 2004, after graduating from Allegheny College in 2003.
He was also the star player on his high school basketball team. Playing ball for Allegheny, he started all 28 games his senior year, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and averaging 14 points a game.
That is about what you would expect. But, in the fall of 2008 he was implicated by liberal groups in Ohio, along with other McCain campaign staffers, of voter fraud.
The Franklin County Board of Elections is probing the complaint of a liberal group is calling for an investigation of operatives for Republican John McCain who’ve registered to vote in Ohio, and in some cases have actually cast a ballot, with no intention of remaining in the state.
Deputy Elections Director Matthew Damschroder told The Dispatch that if the matter merits further investigation, the case “will be forwarded to the prosecutor immediately.”
ProgressOhio.org says the activity is the mirror image of Democratic activity that is the subject of an ongoing probe by Franklin County Proseuctor Ron O’Brien.
ProgressOhio called on the Franklin County Board of Elections to refer the new material to the Franklin County prosecutor.
One example cited by ProgressOhio involves Ryan Meerstein is currently the state director for McCain’s campaign in Ohio. The group says that online biographies indicate he has worked for political campaigns or parties in four different states during the past two years, attended college in a fifth state, and his given hometown is in a sixth state.
The Franklin County Board of Elections reports receiving his completed absentee ballot last Tuesday, even though he current is registered to vote in South Carolina, ProgressOhio says.
Others in much the same situation include McCain’s top Ohio spokesman, Paul Lindsay, and Jason Levine, brought into Ohio to help the state Republican Party.
Needless to say, this does not make a brilliant start for Floyd’s chairmanship.
For six years, Gov. Mark Sanford has done all he can to alienate himself from his own party, poison the political atmosphere (which should have been impossible) and show how not to lead.
He also heralded the front line presence of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, S.C. Club for Growth, S.C. Policy Council and a myriad of Sanford shell groups.
Until former State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel’s cocaine bust, he was the obvious heir apparent for this small, but well-funded and vocal, lobby. Hell, Ravenel was even best buds with Mallory Factor.
But, here we are, with three major candidates for governor, none of which is an easy fit with Howard Rich‘s heimwehren. If last year is any indicator, even with a coordinated attack, these groups had to rely on one man, some mistakes, and pure political skullduggery on one particular race, to get just a few key people elected to the General Assembly.
And, some of those guys might as well make plans to go back to the day job full time as of the next cycle.
Still, this lobby cannot do what they like, the Governor is acting like a spoiled child, and the leadership in the House and the Senate is just a little hostile.
Right now, all Team Sanford has to bet on is Karen Floyd, one of theirs. She will be the next chairman of the S.C. Republican Party. But, as has been said, she was the only statewide Republican to lose in 2006 and still has tens of thousands of dollars in campaign debt to pay off.
Unless Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer‘s involvement with Floyd’s firm is him tipping his cards to Project Mayhem, Sanford’s stormtroopers are going to be even more marginalized than they are already.
Following the November elections, the S.C. Republican Party sported over $100,000 in debt, but, just before S.C. politico Karen Floyd is expected to assume the chairmanship, the party cleared out its remaining obligations, according to the April federal disclosure report.
It also meant a fine month for Starboard Communications, which was owed the lion’s share of the party’s outstanding debt.
The S.C. Democratic Party‘s federal report has yet to show up online, and the same holds true for its state operations account.
SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY
Federal account (April 2009)
Contributions: $94,005.82
Expenditures: $144,288.82
Cash on Hand: $58,825.31
Notable contributions
2009.03.16 | Graham for Senate, $33,500
2009.03.16 | Edward Sellers, $5,000
2009.03.24 | Graham for Senate, $10,000
2009.03.24 | Roger Milliken, $5,000
Notable expenditures
Schedule B
2009.03.17 | Starboard Communications (FEA slate mailings), $29,000
2009.03.27 | Starboard Communications (FEA slate mailings), $15,000
2009.03.27 | Starboard Communications (postage and printing), $16,110.20
2009.03.27 | The Philips Group (finance consulting), $2,000
2009.03.31 | Starboard Communications (FEA slate mailings), $40,217.31
Schedule H4
2009.03.17 | Mail Marketing Strategies (copies), $630
Can’t get rid of Howie
Rep. Joey Millwood got another cool grand from a Howard Rich-affiliated corporation, this time from 188 Claremont LLC, and also pulled a few bucks from Chris Sullivan, the RQ&A-affiliated consultant who ran Sen. Lee Bright‘s campaign and who is the editor of Southern Partisan.
Spinnin’ platters
Rep. Grady Brown does not just do his DJing at Rust (you know, R-U-S-T, on Gervais Street, behind the Motor Supply, from 7 to 11…), but spun records at an event for Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster, for which he was paid $450 on Jan. 1. A new era of bipartisan partying?
Got debt?
S.C. Republican Party chairman candidate Karen Floyd, who will most likely have to deal with over $100,000 of debt in the SCGOP’s federal account, still has issues of her own. According to her latest report, she has over $81,000 in debt from her 2006 losing effort, and, according to the last couple reports, does not seem to be very active about getting rid of the loan balance.
The eyes have it
S.C. eye doctors, and their organizations, have been aggressively donating to members of both parties in the past period. They evidently can see how things begin to get done in Columbia.
Where you been?
Just because a candidate lost, as we see with the Floyd account, does not mean that the campaign account is not still active. The last two Democratic candidates for governor, former Gov. Jim Hodges and former Sen. Tommy Moore, have a nickel or two kicking around in their accounts. Hodges sports $2,360.90 (though he has not filed an April 10 report) and Moore has $1,313.07. Moore’s last major outlay was $10,000 to the Senate Democratic Caucus in 2007.
Looking for Sanford
Gov. Mark Sanford has been a little tardy in getting his latest report online, though in the Jan. 10 version he had nearly $1.7 million on hand. What will he do with his money? According to S.C. law, he cannot use it for a Federal campaign, so either he will go all Jerry Brown on us and run for S.C. treasurer, or comptroller general, or give his long green to his assortment of AstroTurf third-party groups. Either way, the Governor’s Office ain’t sayin’ until it finally comes down.
South Carolina may be entering one of the most politically strange periods in the state’s history. As it stands now, Carol Fowler will be the chair of the S.C. Democratic Party going into the 2010 elections, and, most likely, Karen Floyd will be the chair of the S.C. Republican Party.
At any other time, having two women run the two major parties in a Southern state would be something to celebrate. However, there are a number of people who are apprehensive about the future.
The Democrats
Carol Fowler is, possibly, the worst person Democrats could have running their party. Last year, when Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was at the most vulnerable point he will be in his career, she failed at both grooming a candidate and recruiting a candidate to run against him.
Democratic insiders would say that she was not that big of a deal in years past, and her marriage to SCDP heavyweight Don Fowler has put her where she is now. Unfortunately for the donkey class, she is running for another term as state chairman and does not seem to have any credible opposition.
In the announcement of Fowler’s intention to run again on Indigo Journal, State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex and House Minority Leader Harry Ott endorsed her candidacy. Maybe they felt they had to. But, one thing is for certain: if Fowler is in her current position next year, Ott will still be in the minority, and Rex will probably be out of a job.
If the Democratic Party in this state wants to be competitive in 2010, they need to overthrow the leadership that has been driving the party into the ground for the past several years.
If they want to remain irrelevant in South Carolina, they can keep doing what they have been doing.
The Republicans
Pick your poison: Spartanburg County chairman Rick Beltram or former Superintendent of Education candidate Karen Floyd. Obviously, Beltram will not be elected. He is too idiosyncratic, and too widely disliked, to win the SCGOP chairman’s job. Hence, Floyd is basically a shoo-in. And, that is a shame for all Republicans.
Floyd was the only statewide Republican candidate in 2006 to lose, and not the least of which because she was wedded to the Howard Rich crew, which pissed off enough Democrats and moderate Republicans to let Rex win.
So, the argument has to be made: if she could not properly manage her own campaign, what would that mean for the SCGOP in the two years she would be chairman?
Conclusion
If South Carolinians rest on their laurels and let these two people run the state’s two major parties over the next two years, it will not be a surprise if we continue to get bad candidates nominated and bad officials elected. Democrats and Republicans need to gain control over their parties and put forth smart partisans who will groom, recruit and get elected the best candidates possible.
Federal spending and contribution numbers came out several days ago for the March filing for our state’s two major parties. State reports are due on April 10. In the wake of health concerns for Columbia attorney and Republican activist Kevin Hall, and the impact of that on the S.C. Republican Party chairman’s race, here are where the parties stand as of the last disclosure, and relevant contributions and expenditures.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Summary
Cash on hand, beginning: $43,517.15
Contributions: $55,851.44
Expenditures: $59,017.51
Cash on hand, end: $40,351.08
Schedule B contributions
2009.02.09 | New Hampshire Democratic Party, $23,849 (joint fundraising expenses)
Schedule H4 disbursements
2009.02.02 | Enterprise Rent A Car, $540.24
SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY
Summary
Cash on hand, beginning: $124,948.12
Contributions: $48,859.24
Disbursements: $64,699.05
Cash on hand, end: $109,108.31
Debt: $102,449
Schedule B disbursements
2009.02.05 | Richard Quinn & Associates, $4,000 (research)
2009.02.20 | Diamond Graphics, $903.76 (FEA printing/Lindsey Graham sticker)
2009.02.20 | Starboard Communications, $20,000 (FEA slate mailings)
Schedule B contributions
2009.02.19 | Ken Bailey (attorney, Houston, TX), $10,000
Schedule H4 disbursements
2009.02.04 | Mail Marketing Strategies, $150 (copies)
2009.02.09 | Charlotte Airport, $82 (parking)
2009.02.12 | Five Guys (Reagan National Airport), $31.14 (food and beverage)
2009.02.13 | Bob Andrews Motor, $1,697.20 (auto repair)
Schedule D (debts)
Starboard Communications, $84,217.31 (FEA slate mailings)
Alltel, $18,231.69 (FEA telephone)
Few things are more interesting than internal battles within the S.C. Republican Party. With the S.C. Democrats damn near anemic, all the soap operas (or, at least the best ones) go on in the right side of the ledger.
In this case, it involves the race for SCGOP chairman. Recently, S.C. Republican operative Mike Green recorded a debate between the three candidates on his iPhone. The thing is, while he was testing it out, he shot several things. Almost all have been pulled off the Internet. One was early in a debate when you could see former Aiken County GOP treasurer Ginny Allen standing near candidate Karen Floyd with a Floyd sticker on.
In December, Allen was arrested by SLED for sending out robocalls on Sen. Greg Ryberg and House candidate Scott Singer. According to most S.C. politicos, she was also behind the Aiken-based political blog Kaolin Kronicle.
It just goes to show that in S.C. politics, you are rarely six degrees away from someone who has pending prison time.
In what amounts to the next bombshell move in the race for S.C. Republican Party chairman, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint is personally calling up party activists on behalf of SCGOP chairman candidate Kevin Hall.
According to a source close to Wolfe Reports, DeMint just started whipping votes for Hall recently, following up on the endorsement letter he and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham sent out in the second week of February.
“It’s not unusual for an elected official to endorse another candidate,” the source said. “But for a U.S. senator to put in the time to personally call activists urging them to support Kevin Hall for state party chair, well, that’s a big deal and it illustrates how badly DeMint wants Hall running the party during his 2010 reelection campaign.”
Other currently announced candidates are former Superintendent of Education candidate Karen Floyd and Spartanburg County Republican Party chairman Rick Beltram.
Jeffery Sewell, S.C. political consultant and noted RINO hunter, recently sent out an email advertising his access to the S.C. Election Commission voter file. In the subject, he writes, “Complete ’08 SCEC file complete with appendeges e.g. no dead, felons etc blah blah…buy from me or pay twice the price…available right now.”
Now, Sewell has been kind to this site in the past, which surely means Wolfe Reports will join the number of recently axed sites from his news aggregator. That is fine. It is only a matter of time until we piss off nearly everyone and find ourselves begging for money for cheap beer like the rest of the homeless in Five Points.
However, how does a guy who has taken pride in going after “Republicans In Name Only” offer his voter file to Democrats? One of the email addresses listed is Jay Parmley, executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Not only that, but Parmley is a member of the RISE SC Facebook group. RISE SC, as you may recall, is totally opposed to school choice, which Sewell says he favors and in which movement he has been involved.
But, that is not all. He has also offered the list to Rick Beltram, chairman of the Spartanburg County Republican Party. It should not take most people long to wonder why a guy who says he is a supporter of Karen Floyd and says she will be the next S.C. Republican Party chairman would be offering his list to one of her opponents.
And, still, there is more. He also offered it to people he called RINOs in the past, like S.C. operatives Rod Shealy and Wesley Donehue. What is not known is if the other people on the listing, like SCGOP chairman Katon Dawson, Richard Quinn & Associates’ Rick Quinn, McAllister Communications‘ Dave Wilson and Starboard Communications‘ Mike Green are considered to be in the same camp as the others, or just open to cut rate voter file access.
Either way, there are more things afoot in S.C. politics than anyone could even imagine.
In all due respect to Chairman Dawson, painting the scene in 2002 as some sort of low-water mark for S.C. Republicans is absurd. Yes, Dick Harpootlian was a badass as chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party. Yes, the SCGOP had a large debt. But, really, even spin has its limits. And, while you may not think so, the preceding is actually an objective view of the matter. As someone who saw the whole blood and guts up close, the Democrats got damn lucky in 1998. As I have said before, they practically Forrest Gump-ed their way into control of state government. It was obvious it was not going to last, no matter who was in control of either state party.
