| South Carolina State Elections, 2006 |
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The 2006 South Carolina State Elections will take place on November 7 , 2006 , and will include the Gubernatorial Election . South Carolina is unique in having nine constitutional officers elected every four years, including the United States' only popuarly elected Adjutant General. State politics in South Carolina are often colorful, with much local flair, and undoubtedly will remain so in 2006. POSITIONS AND CANDIDATES Filing for the major parties closed on March 28th , 2006, and filing for minor parties will close on August 15 . The following are the major party candidates who have filed and the minor party candidates who have announced for each position. Governor Major issues in the race are likely to be South Carolina's Property Tax , Cigarette Tax , and School Vouchers . So far, Sanford leads in the polls against both major Democrats by about 20 points, despite being named one of the worst Governors in the country by Time Magazine {Link without Title} a year before the election. Republicans
Sanford is expected to win the Republican primary. Democrats
Moore has been the favorite of the state , a former US Congressman , entered the race early in 2006 but quickly exited, citing the problem of fundraising in the time before the primary. Lieutenant Governor Republicans
Democrat
The Lieutenant Governor's race has been dominated by the missteps of André Bauer, who has been stopped by police officers for speeding - once going 101 miles an hour - repeatedly since taking office. Bauer has also been derided for his personal Myspace account and for his unusually young age upon taking office. Campbell was also stopped for speeding in a car driven by a campaign aide. Jordan filed at the last minute, citing Bauer's youth and Campbell's inexperience as his major motivations. Jordan's [www.jordan4ltgov.org campaign site includes the dashboard camera recordings of Bauer's speeding incidents. Jordan himself is most famous for saying "Screw the Buddhists and kill the Muslims" during a debate on whether the Ten Commandments should be placed in public school classrooms in 1997. Barber's campaign has made far less of a public impact. Secretary of State Republicans
Democrat
Hammond has raised nearly nine times as much money as Flynn and McKown's campaign is minimal at best this and his advantage as the incumbent make it likely that he will win the nomination. However, on April 6th, Flynn withdrewn from the race and endorsed McKown, citing the need for "a true conservative that [sic wants to stream-line, restructure, and reform the office."[http://www.schotline.com/mckown040706.htm] This may boost McKown's showing in the primary, but whether or not it will lead to an upset against Hammond is unclear. Footman's late entry into the race and the Republican leanings of the state make it unlikely she will make any more than token opposition. State Treasurer Republicans
Democrat
The 82-year-old Patterson has been in office for 36 years now, and was one of only two Democrats to win statewide office in the 2002 elections. The Republican slate is now dominated by the sudden entry, hours before the filing deadline, of Thomas Ravenel, a young businessman from the Lowcountry who made a third place showing in the 2004 Senate Republican primary, coming in only a few points behind Jim DeMint , whom he subsequently endorsed against David Beasley . Ravenel has made a splash by promising not to draw his salary if he is elected. Some have speculated that Ravenel may be using this race as a springboard for a primary challenge against Lindsay Graham, whom he has criticized openly since 2004, or perhaps a run for governor in 2010. Before his entry, the field was fairly evenly divided between Quinn and Ryberg, who were expected to advance to a run-off over Willis. Ravenel, with his youthful appearance and popular name, looks like he may become the front-runner, especially since he has promised to self-fund his campaign. Considering the $3.29 million he spent on his Senate campaign was largely his own money, this could mean his campaign will acquire a relatively large warchest without any time spent fundraising. It was probably with this fact in mind that Ryberg loaned his campaign $2 million in the first quarter of 2006. {Link without Title} If either man has the ability to beat Patterson, who managed to keep his seat in the Republican landslide year of 2002, is uncertain. Attorney General Republican
The popular and effective McMaster has not attracted any opposition from either party, but continues to operate a campaign site . Comptroller General Republican
Democrat
The Comptroller General race has not made much news, but Theodore could well be a viable candidate, drawing from his father's popularity with Democrats to raise competitive amounts of money. Superintendent of Education Republicans
Democrat
Third Parties
The Superintendent campaign has attracted a wide range of candidates, largely because the current Superintendent, Democrat Inez Tenenbaum , has decided not to run again. Her 2004 campaign manager and former Deputy Secretary of Education, Frank Holleman , considered the race but decided not to enter for family reasons. Two Democratic candidates, Cecil Taliaferro and Ed Murray, withdrew from the campaign after Rex's announcement. In the Republican primary, Floyd looks to be the front runner, winning most county primary Straw Poll s and receiving the endorsement of Senators Jim DeMint and Lindsay Graham , as well as Mark Sanford. Staton is probably the next most viable candidate, and may race a run-off against Floyd, although many Republicans have attempted to paint Staton as a " Republican In Name Only " because he does not support a school voucher program. The general race will probably center around the issue of private school vouchers and funding for South Carolina's schools, which are regularly ranked very low compared to other states, despite recent improvement. Popular support for Sanford, who has invested much political capital in the voucher plan, may spill over into this race and help the Republican candidate Adjutant General Republican
Democrat
The Adjutant General campaign, the only one of its kind in the nation, is interesting not only for its novelty but also because of the entrance of an Iraq War veteran as a Democrat against the incumbent. Lindmann is critical of the decreasing size of the state's national guard contingent over Spears's time in office, and also wants to make the position an appointed one instead of an elected one. Spears counters that the size decrease is due to a national policy decision, not a state one, and says the position should remain elected. Commissioner of Agriculture Republicans
Democrat
This race is noteworthy because the Commissioner elected in 2002, Charles Sharp, was convicted in 2004 for accepting bribes from a cockfighting ring to help them avoid prosecution. He lost his office and was replaced by Weathers, the interim commissioner. Other Races Elections for the State House and Senate, as well as for a few State Judicial Circuits Solicitor positions, are also being held in November. It seems unlikely that these Republican dominated bodies will change hands barring a major political shift in the next few months. See also |
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