The adjutant general candidates have their reports out, in what seems to us a strange effort to unseat current Adj. Gen. Stan Spears. It seems like Spears has been in office for, ah, forever, and we haven’t heard anything bad, but that’s the sort of position in state government where you have to fail spectacularly to make the news. Totals here run the gamut, not the least of which is because Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston put a $200,000 loan into his operation and has a huge money lead.
STAN SPEARS
Adjutant General (R)
Contributions: $3,008.98
Expenditures: $440
Cash-on-hand: $26,051.95
Significant contributions
None.
Significant expenditures
None.
ROBERT LIVINGSTON
Candidate for Adjutant General (R)
Contributions: $262,050
Expenditures: $0
Cash-on-hand: $264,195
Significant contributions
None.
Significant expenditures
None.
DEAN ALLEN
Candidate for Adjutant General (R)
Contributions: $3,892
Expenditures: $3,892
Cash-on-hand: $362.46
Significant contributions
None.
Significant expenditures
ATP Gunshop (AK-47 assault rifle), $370
Over here, we’re big fans of the S.C. National Guard. It was great news to find out that the S.C. Air National Guard kicked ass in an international competition in Jordan. For the first time, a National Guard unit was selected to represent the United States. Stepping up was the 169th Fighter Wing out of McEntire Joint National Guard Base, which took its F-16 Falcons to the air and went to town.
The South Carolina unit won top honors for safely launching an air intercept mission and another for precision bombing runs.
They also scored tops in loading missiles and in overall maintenance.
F-16 pilots and crews from Jordan and Belgium also competed in the event.
The 2010 campaign cycle has seen one of its first withdrawals. Rep. Ted Pitts is pulling out of the lieutenant governor’s race. The Midlands Republican, who is a member of the S.C. National Guard, has been called to active duty and will be serving in Afghanistan.
He’ll be going “over there” in January, leaving the Republican primary race to three — Ken Ard, Bill Connor and Tim Scott. No Democrat has announced.
A soldier and a supporter of Bill Connor for lieutenant governor had a not-too-nice phone call recently. Who knew the race for the No. 2 spot, an office with not much power, could be so contentious?
