Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.
E-mail: mailbox@governing.comTwitter: @governing
Politics
A Succession Question
After Mark Sanford's affair, can South Carolina Republicans hold the governorship?
South Carolina is one of the most Republican states in the country, but picking a successor to Governor Mark Sanford is going to be a tricky business for the party. Next year's primary has drawn a large field of contenders, but none has captured the support of the party's regional and ideological factions. "We have a situation here where we have candidates with a decent following," says GOP consultant Chip Felkel, "but there's certainly not a consensus around any one candidate."
Party activists and voters remain uncertain about Andre Bauer, the sitting lieutenant governor, largely because of his reputation for recklessness following incidents involving high-speed driving and a plane crash. At the peak of the scandal surrounding Sanford's international affair, there was talk that, if the state had a different lieutenant governor, Sanford somehow would have been shown the door.
Yet no one is counting Bauer out next year. "Everybody's always been embarrassed by Andre Bauer," says Furman University political scientist James Guth, "and he keeps on winning elections."
Bauer's main competition will be state Attorney General Henry McMaster and Congressman Gresham Barrett. McMaster has raised a considerable war chest but none of his initiatives has captured the public's imagination. He has drawn some heat from conservatives for consorting with known moderates such as Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. Similarly, Barrett is getting boos from some quarters for having supported a version of the financial-sector bailout last fall. Barrett's fundraising has picked up recently, helped in part by his being out of the state during the Sanford affair.
Democrats are nursing hopes that a contentious Republican primary, coupled with the GOP's current problems--besides the Sanford affair, two Republican statewide officeholders have been jailed in recent years--will give them an opening. Their frontrunner is state Senator Vincent Sheheen, but other Democrats are sounding the waters in the wake of the Sanford mess. "The shine is off the Republican brand," says Dick Harpootlian, a former state Democratic chair. Recent polling suggests he's right: Republicans appear to be losing some support. But given South Carolina's conservative inclinations, the governorship still remains the GOP's to lose./p>
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for updates.
Latest from Politics
- Fact vs. Fiction: Arkansas' Game-Changing Medicaid Expansion Plan
- A lot of information is floating around about the state's first-of-its-kind plan to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. Arkansas' Medicaid director sets the record straight.
- Behind Maryland Gov. O' Malley's Political Risk to Push Gun Control
- After the mass shootings at a Newtown, Conn., elementary schools, Martin O’Malley wanted to attempt something no state had attempted to enact in nearly two decades.
- Connecticut Gov. Malloy: NRA CEO is Like a Clown
- Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy went on the attack against NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, saying that he "reminds me of the clowns at the circus - that's what he's paid to do."
- Oil and Gas Bills Pit Legislature vs. Governor in Colorado
- For Gov. Hickenlooper, who supports oil and gas development, the Democrat-sponsored and -supported bills create a dilemma.
- Gay Marriage Opponents Lose Ballot-Title Battle in Oregon
- The Oregon attorney general's office isn't buying an attempt by gay marriage opponents to radically rewrite the ballot title for a proposed initiative that would allow same-sex marriages in Oregon.
GOVERNING Data
- Gay Marriage States Map
- Map shows state laws legalizing or prohibiting gay marriage and civil unions.
- 2012 Population Estimates for Metro Areas
- Public Transit Agency Ridership Statistics
- Average Tax Refund by State
- Which Services Are Citizens Most, Least Satisfied With?
- 2013 State of the State Speeches Word Cloud
Events & Webinars
- It’s A Paperless, Paperless World..... Thinking Outside the Box to Gain Efficiencies through Prepaid Cards
- April 23, 2013
- Public sector organizations are under intense scrutiny to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible and with maximum transparency. An important consideration is the way in which payments are made and managed. Prepaid cards can offer flexibility, security and accountability to governments as a method of dispersing benefits, healthcare and social care payments, child benefits and housing benefits to their constituents.
- GOVERNING - Michigan Leadership Forum 2013
- May 1, 2013
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
Flickr
RSS
© 2011 e.Republic, Inc. All Rights reserved. |