By Andy Brack | It’s less than three weeks until candidates can file for legislative and statewide offices and the state Democratic Party has a problem – only three people have declared they’ll run for any of South Carolina’s seven statewide constitutional races.
To date, former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham of Charleston and state Sen. Mia McLeod of Columbia are campaigning on the Democratic ticket to replace GOP Gov. Henry McMaster. The only other person to say he is running statewide is Gary Burgess, a former Anderson County superintendent who has run twice for state superintendent as a Republican. This time he’s running as a Democrat to replace GOP Superintendent Molly Spearman, who is retiring. At present, at least six Republican women are running for the superintendent seat.
That means state Democrats don’t yet have candidates to challenge several Republicans, including Attorney General Alan Wilson, Secretary of State Mark Hammond, Treasurer Curtis Loftis, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom and Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers. The lieutenant governor, also a constitutional officer, runs on the governor’s ticket. The state’s adjutant general used to be elected statewide, but now is appointed.
There’s still time for more statewide candidates to emerge, but the two-week filing period opens March 16.
State party leaders have been mostly mum when asked why there aren’t more Democrats running for statewide office. “No comment,” said one, later adding that he didn’t want to steal the thunder of anyone whose announcement was in the works. “Great question,” another said with a hint of snark.
Another Democratic insider privately quipped, “I have not heard a single name for a single office.”
One reason Democratic leaders may not want to run in down-ballot races is a feeling of futility after U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison raised – and spent – $130 million in a losing 2020 effort to incumbent GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham in the state’s most expensive contest ever. (Graham raised about $113 million and spent $100 million in the race.)
Furman University political science professor Danielle Vinson said state Democrats are having trouble because the state, now gerrymandered three times into lots of safe Republican legislative seats, has become mostly a one-party state – a kind of red state version of California.
“Democrats cannot win a seat if they don’t have a candidate running,” she said. “But who wants to be that candidate who, even under the best of circumstances, has almost no chance of succeeding?
“So, Democrats look for other ways to influence policy and politics – focusing their attention on national politics (see Jaime Harrison) or turning to local politics where there are more opportunities and the party is less decisive in the outcome of elections.”
There’s historical precedent for late statewide announcements from Democratic candidates. Back in 2010, several high-profile Democrats joined races at the last moment, including Matthew Richardson (attorney general), Frank Holleman (superintendent) and Robert Barber (comptroller general). That was, however, also the year that an unknown, Alvin M. Greene, was the Democratic challenger to then GOP U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint.
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We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
I’ve always thought the only way for the SC Democrats to take back the Governor’s mansion was for no one to run (and lose) for the other constitutional offices.
When they all run, they all bring out their people, meaning the Democrat does not stand a chance. With only the Gov’s race in play, a good Democrat can isolate the bread and butter issues that the majority of voters care about, and upset the Gov.