Outside or in? S Carolina Democrats have choice for governor

https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Outside-or-in-S-Carolina-Democrats-have-choice-12980878.php

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Democrats in South Carolina face a familiar choice Tuesday when they choose their candidate for governor - do they pick a legislator trying to woo independents and some Republicans? Or do they go with a candidate outside the Statehouse less interested in moderation? 

State Rep. James Smith is the front-runner, a veteran who went to Afghanistan and spent 22 years in the South Carolina House before stepping aside for a run for governor. 

One opponent, Charleston businessman Phil Noble, who talks at about every appearance about his "big, bold and audacious ideas" for South Carolina, such as doubling teacher pay but having strict accountably goals in place to weed out poor teachers. 

The other opponent, Florence attorney Marguerite Willis, said she was driven into the race by "the racist, sexist president of the United States" and said a woman is needed to take on the good old boy network and fight for better lives for women and the poor. 

Republicans in South Carolina like outsiders. In The past two primaries with open seats, the eventual winner has charged from the outside and soundly beat the more established candidates. 

Democrats have been the opposite. A legislator who has been the favorite from the start has won the nomination each election since 1998, while the GOP has won four governor's races in a row as the state turns more Republican. 

"Every time they nominate somebody who gives some rah-rah speeches trying to be Republican light and he gets beat," Noble said. "How many more times do they have to lose before they figure out that doesn't work?" 

Each of those legislators who lost at the polls is a man, Willis said. 

"Every four years they find a legislator - it's his time; it's never her - his time has come they all get behind him they all endorse him they push him forward and they lose," she said. 

That criticism missed a few important points to Democratic success: the party can't win by turning off voters and electing someone without any experience in government, Smith said. 

"We've seen what a lack of experience does in the White House. I think we want some experience here in the Statehouse," Smith said. 

All three candidates support unions, Medicaid expansion, better pay for teachers and other Democratic staples. They disagree on how to implement their visions. Noble talks about blowing things up and starting all over, while Willis and Smith take a more cautious approach of bipartisanship in a state where President Donald Trump received 55 percent of the vote in 2016. 

In traditional political measures, Smith is well ahead. He has raised $1.1 million from individual contributors and $162,000 as the race heated up in April and May. Donors have given $171,000 to Wills, but just $40,000 in the past two months. She did loan her campaign $300,000 on March 30, but not given it any more of her own cash. 

Noble has raised $207,000 from individual donors with $56,000 coming in the past few months. 

Smith also touts his endorsements from a wide range of groups from the social activists in the South Carolina Progressive Network to the environmentalists in the Sierra Club to the gun control supporters at Moms Demand Action. Individually, Smith has support ranging from former Vice President Joe Biden to South Carolina's only black congressman Jim Clyburn to the state last two Democratic governors and more than 20 African-American state senators and House members. 

"I've brought this party together," Smith said. 

The Democratic race for governor in South Carolina also doesn't look a lot like the party in the state. In the last contested Democratic governor's primary in 2010, 59 percent of voters were black. 

Noble has picked an African-American woman, educator Gloria Bromell Tinubu to be his lieutenant governor nominee, while Willis selected black state Sen. John Scott to be her running mate. 

Smith selected a white woman, state Rep. Mandy Powers Norell. Women also made up 59 percent of the electorate in the 2010 vote. 

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP . Read his work at https://apnews.com/search/jeffrey%20collins

Dems call for 'blue tsunami' in 2018

Oconee County Democratic Party chair Paulette Keffas-Chassin encourages the party faithful to work for Democratic candidates in the 2018 elections at a meeting at South Cove Park on Sunday. Norm Cannada | The Journal

SENECA — Oconee County Democratic leaders called for a “blue tsunami” in 2018 and encouraged the party faithful to work for Democratic candidates in hopes of turning the state from a “red” Republican state to a “blue” Democratic state.

About 180 people attended the annual Democratic Party event Sunday night at South Cove Park. They heard from seven candidates, including two running for governor, two vying for Congress and three local candidates.

Paulette Keffas-Chassin, chair of the county Democratic Party, said she is seeing the local party gaining strength with more candidates and enthusiasm, though she added more effort is needed in order to make the goal a reality.

“The blue tsunami is a great phenomenon, and that could happen in this county, in this state and in this country, but it’s not a magical thing,” Keffas-Chassin said. “The only way we will take Congress back and the Columbia legislature and this state and this county is by the work of everybody in this room.”

The Democrats heard from Phil Noble and James Smith, two of the three candidates vying for the party’s nomination for governor in next week’s primary election.

Noble called for “doubling” the salaries of public school teachers.  “If you’re going to try to do something big and bold and significant in education, you’ve got to first deal with the teachers,” he said.  “What we pay our teachers now is just atrocious,” he added. “We have about 6,000 or 7,000 teachers that just leave, just never come back.”  He called Smith a “career politician who has spent his life in the legislature.” He also criticized his opponent in the room, saying Smith has been endorsed three times by the National Rifle Association.

Smith responded by saying the Democratic Party is the “party of ideas, not personal attacks.”  Smith said he did have “positive scores” from the NRA years ago. He said the scores “had nothing to do with gun safety.”  “I’m not concerned about what they think,” he said. “The fact is these scores had to do with things like hunting issues — I’ve been a hunter my whole life. They don’t have anything to do with gun safety.”

Seneca businessman Hosea Cleveland and Anderson educator Mary Geren said they have tried to show one another respect in their race for the Third District Congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan. Both were critical of Duncan and said they wanted to see him defeated.  Cleveland called for more efforts to improve and invest in renewable energy and pointed to the fleet of electric buses that are in Seneca as part of the Clemson Area Transit system. He said a congressman could bring more money back to the district to provide funding for more efforts in renewable energy. He said he also supported bringing more new jobs to the area.  “We need to invest in the right kind of jobs so folks can make a decent living,” Cleveland said.

Geren, who taught English at Tri-County Technical College before leaving her job to make a run for Congress, said she grew up in poverty in Northeast Georgia and was able to get out of poverty through the encouragement and help of public school administrators and teachers.  “I am running for Congress because I believe in public education more than anything; it saved my life,” Geren said. “We are fighting for the American dream, and I have been blessed to live it. That is a real dream, but it is slipping away.”

Jody Gaulin, who is challenging Republican State Rep. Bill Sandifer in the general election, said “competition is good — it keeps everyone honest.”

If elected to the State House of Representatives, Gaulin said she would work for “equal pay for equal work.”  “I feel like I do have a good feel for what is going on in Oconee County,” she said. “I’ve been exposed to those who are chronically under- or unemployed, and that is a hard nut to crack, and it’s a hard problem to solve. I feel like I have some degree of understanding of those issues.”  Other priorities for Gaulin would be improving public safety, public education, workforce preparedness, maintaining and improving infrastructure, affordable higher education and expanded access to health care.  “All of these are critical to a thriving economy, strong families and livable communities,” she said.

Bill Bruehl, who is running for Oconee County Council District 1 in November, said government leaders need to “collaborate if you want to produce.”

“I believe that the fundamental problem we face here, whether it’s locally or nationally, is polarization,” Bruehl said.  He called for leaders to talk and listen with “respect” and work together.

Sandra Sloan, who plans to run for the Oconee County School Board, said she wants to work to improve education.

“Our district is doing a good job, but there is always room for improvement,” said Sloan, a former teacher. “We must never forget that the children are our future, who will serve in various capacities as we age. Therefore we must ensure that they have the education to adequately perform the lower skills as well as the highly technological jobs in the workforce in a most rigorous manner.”  She also called for more diversity in school staff.  “Everyone needs to see someone that looks like them,” she said.

ncannada@upstatetoday.com | (864) 973-6680

Follow on Twitter @NormCannada

Posted on June 5, 2018

By Norm Cannada

The Journal, Seneca, SC