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[SC] Political shakeouts in 2004 suggest it's time to turn and face the change.
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| Contributor | Joshua L. |
| Last Edited | Joshua L. Jan 01, 2005 05:47pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Saturday, January 1, 2005 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | In case you missed it, 2004 was an election year. Although it can be argued that voters sent mixed messages to state and local officials in South Carolina, the trend suggests that at least some changes are on the not-too-distant horizon.
In Columbia, this could be the year when Gov. Mark Sanford finally passes the first major legislation of his administration after essentially striking out in the two sessions of the General Assembly since he took office.
Sanford went to bat for SC Senate candidates who would be more supportive of his initiatives, with mixed results. In Spartanburg, Lee Bright mounted a primary challenge to incumbent Sen. John Hawkins that highlighted policy differences between Hawkins and Sanford. When Bright lost by the narrowest of margins, Hawkins pronounced himself a changed man, saying he believes voters were telling him to support the governor.
Former Sanford staffer Chip Campsen then unseated Sen. John Kuhn, a GOP lawmaker from Sanford's backyard who had not been a big fan. But Democrat Joel Lourie soundly defeated Sanford ally Ken Wingate for a vacant Senate seat in Columbia, a race that could be seen as something of a referendum on Sanford due to Wingate's prominent role as chair of the MAC commission formed to support the governor's cost-cutting mandate.
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