Rumsey, SCRG not satisfied with getting blown out

The Sandlapper Group
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Ed Rumsey, who got obliterated by Rep. Bill Sandifer 72-28 in House District 2, is back in the mix as Sandifer and SCRG start trading blows again. As Barbecue & Politics points out, Rumsey received 65 percent of his funding from Uncle Moneybags, Howard Rich.

SCRG spokeman Neil Mellen said, “Na na na, Sandifer took out-of-state contributions too, na na na.” At least, that’s how it looked after my eyes glazed over. Naturally, he and his organization missed the point – it’s not all that much about out-of-state contributions, it’s about thousands upon thousands of dollars coming from one man.

According to the Daily Journal/Messenger, Sandifer isn’t sitting on his laurels after booting SCRG and Rich’s money out of his district.

“The difference is that Rumsey’s out-of-state contributions come from a sole contributor who has manipulated the use of the law to his own benefit,” Sandifer said. “When someone does that, I believe it is certainly their intent to have a fairly significant amount of control over what that candidate might do.”

Rumsey, still smarting from his trip to the woodshed, went comment posting at SCRG’s blog:

“As Sandifer’s opponent and target during the primary in June I learned more about him then (sic) you would like to know,” Rumsey wrote. “But to add to hypocrisy I would mention mendacity, arrogance and void of any positive character. These are not just my words but those who know Sandifer and who phoned me during the primary.”

Hey – you got your asses kicked. Deal with it.

War of words continues over campaign contributions [UpstateToday.com]

Now it’s on

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Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

UPDATE: Fuck.
————————————
S.C. House District 38 Republican nominee (and wholly-owned subsidiary of Howard Rich) Joey Millwood and former Landrum mayor Doug Brannon are now ready to rumble, according to reports from The Herald-Journal.

It appears that Brannon got 68 more signatures than needed to get on the ballot, and turned them in 10 minutes before the deadline. That means that he’ll be able to pull out all the stops to make sure that a real conservative (not a Howard Rich flunky) will represent the district in the next House session.

It also means that the chance of the Sandlapper Group to go 0-for-’08 in contested races is still there. The consulting firm, started in November of 2007, might as well be called “SCRG Political Consulting LLC,” as much as it directly pimped SCRG and S.C. Club for Growth candidates that hadn’t already been taken by Starboard Communications or the Quinn firm.

Millwood got lucky the first time because of conflicting loyalties at Starboard for the race between himself and Rep. Bob Walker. The same won’t be true in November, and it’s highly doubtful Millwood will be taking the oath of office in Columbia this cycle.

Brannon’s signature drive appears successful [The Herald-Journal]

Howard Rich’s Joey Millwood threatened by Doug Brannon (updated)

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Believe it or not, “journalist” Joey Millwood, the Republican nominee in S.C. House District 38, may well get his comeuppance against possible petition candidate Doug Brannon.

Brannon, a Republican, is the former mayor of Landrum and decided to mount an independent campaign after Millwood beat Rep. Bob Walker in the primary by 16 votes.

Of course, one wonders what would have happened if Walker had hired a firm beside Starboard Communications to run his race. Starboard already was working for several South Carolinians for Responsible Government and Howard Rich-backed candidates, so couldn’t use that connection to sink Millwood. The North Carolina sportswriter was the only one of the Sandlapper Group’s clients to win in the primary season. Sandlapper is run by SCRG board member Chad Connelly and Conservatives in Action spokesman Taft Matney.

Of course, Starboard employee and former S.C. Club for Growth executive director Josh Gross was doing Millwood’s mail (among others), so it would have behooved Walker to hire another firm.

Enter Brannon, who has been canvassing the district in the past few days to stop another subsidiary of Rich, Inc. from entering the State House.

Funding the public education system and fighting for additional property tax relief – relief that would be offset by a higher sales tax – would be two of Brannon’s top priorities in Columbia.

“The residents of House District 38 need a strong, vocal representative that isn’t pulled by out-of-state money or some other power,” Brannon said.

Of course, Millwood tried to spin how he’s a bought commodity, but it rings untrue:

“I’m not a good-ole-boy. I’m not a walking special interest. People see that. They see the freshness of what I represent,” Millwood said. “If someone is a true conservative, then cut that check – I’ll take it. That money I got from New York, they have no interest in South Carolina.

Tell us some more bullshit, Joey – we haven’t heard enough yet. According to his reports, Millwood raised 75 percent of his cash through late May from Rich and his people. Today, though, is the last day of the five-day grace period for the July 10 report, which should show the extent that he’s in Rich’s pocket. And, if he doesn’t send in his report today he’ll be (gasp!) in violation of the law. (See update below.)

If there’s one thing that’s going Brannon’s way, it’s that he’s pissed off Spartanburg County’s resident crazy Rick Beltram.

Spartanburg County GOP Chairman Rick Beltram last week dismissed petition candidates trying to claim the mantle of a second Republican on November’s ballot. On Sunday, Beltram said, petition candidates set a bad precedent for people who have a problem with the nominating process.

“They need to understand that just because someone runs as an independent/petition candidate doesn’t mean they’re entitled to anything from the Republican Party,” Beltram said. “In fact, it becomes something of an affront to our nominee.”

Beltram said he’s tried to recruit Brannon to run for a seat on Spartanburg County Council in the past, and that Brannon – by attempting to run as a petition candidate – could end up damaging his chances to get into the political game “the regular way” in the future.

Oh, that’s a shame, Ricky. Perhaps the best analysis of Beltram and his ways was penned by Rep. Doug Smith.

Most know Beltram as a self-absorbed media hound who has never met a news release he wouldn’t release. It is a pity hardworking Republicans have had to work in the shadow of someone who either doesn’t understand the damage he does to our party, or doesn’t care, or both.

A portrait of Ronald Reagan hangs in the S.C. House Chamber because of a resolution that I prepared and sponsored. I am normally a believer in Reagan’s commandment not to speak ill of a fellow Republican, but when it comes to an extreme case like our local Republican chairman, someone finally has to speak the truth.

What’s good is that the race to win District 38 ain’t over yet, and there’s someone that’s worth a damn working hard to win it.

UPDATE: Millwood’s July 10 report is in as of around noon today, July 15. No surprises here:

05/12/2008, 123 LaSalle Associates, 73 Spring St, NYC $1,000
05/14/2008, Bradford Management, 73 Spring St, NYC $1,000
05/16/2008, Alan Pomerantz, 767 5th Ave, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Paul Jost, 2640 Jockeys Neck Trail, Williamsburg, VA $1,000
05/24/2008, The Stonecreek Group, 2443 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento, CA $1,000
05/24/2008, Paul Farago, PO Box 8907, Asheville, NC $1,000
05/24/2008, Joseph Stillwell, 26 Broadway, 23rd Floor, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Yvonne Rich, 2111 West Rd 1, Mtn Home, AR $1,000
05/24/2008, 4220 Broadway LLC , 73 Spring St, Rm 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, 188 Claremont LLC, 73 Spring St Room 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, 405 49 Associates, 73 Spring St Room 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, 332 E 11 LLC, 73 Spring St, Room 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, 4220 Broadway Inc, 73 Spring St Room 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, 470 W 166 LLC, 73 Spring St Room 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Bayrich LLC, 73 Spring St, Ste 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, 123 LaSalle Inc, 73 Spring St Rm 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, 51 First Ave LLC, 73 Spring St, Rm 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Dayrich LLC, 73 Spring St Room 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Newrich LLC, 73 Spring St Rm 507, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Rich and Rich Associates, 73 Spring St Ste 507, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Rich Acquisitions LLC, 73 Spring St Ste 507, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Spooner LLC, 73 Spring St Room 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Silver and Silver, 73 Spring St Rm 408, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Secure Data LLC, 73 Spring St Ste 507, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Spring Incorporated, 73 Spring St Suite 507, NYC $1,000
05/24/2008, Rich and Rich LLC, 73 Spring St Suite 507, NYC $1,000
05/30/2008, Streetrich LLC, 73 Spring St, Ste 408, NYC $1,000
05/30/2008, Stilrich LLC, 73 Spring St, NYC $1,000
05/30/2008, West 14 & 18 LLC, 73 Spring St RM 408, NYC $1,000
05/30/2008, SpringRich, 73 Spring St Rm 507, NYC $1,000
05/30/2008, John Kirtley, 339 S Plant Ave, Tampa, FL $1,000
05/30/2008, Douglas Levine, 2760 N. Bay Rd, Miami Beach, FL $1,000

That’s $35,000 from corporations and people directly affiliated with Rich, when you include the three large from the pre-election report. Rich gave Millwood over half his total support.

Or so it would seem. Hey, kids, we forgot to add in the S.C. Club for Growth/Reform SC/Sanford Lowcountry Crony Association numbers:

06/08/2008, Chad Walldorf, 3112 Marshall Blvd, Sullivan’s Island $1,000
06/09/2008, Eighty-Six LLC, 710 Johnnie Dodds Blvd, Mt Pleasant $1,000
06/09/2008, Ben Navarro, PO Box 19019, Atlanta $1,000
06/09/2008, Kelly Navarro, PO Box 19019, Atlanta $1,000
06/09/2008, Bill Hewitt, 34 Prioleau Street, Charleston $1,000
06/09/2008, Laura Hewitt, 34 Prioleau Street, Charleston $1,000
06/09/2008, Mary Barter, 40 Shoolbred Ct, Johns Island $1,000
06/09/2008, SC CFG PAC, PO Box 11909, Columbia $1,000
06/09/2008, Bill Lowndes, PO Box 5042, Spartanburg $1,000
06/09/2008, Henrietta Lowndes, PO Box 5042, Spartanburg $1,000
06/13/2008, William Baker, 188 Ballybunion Dr, Kiawah Island $1,000
06/13/2008, Margaret Averyt, PO Box 1365, Ste SC 443, Columbia $1,000
06/13/2008, Emily Swanson, 615 Pitt St, Mt Pleasant $1,000
06/13/2008, Ruth Baker, 188 Ballybunion Dr, Kiawah Island $1,000
06/13/2008, Gayle Averyt, PO Box 1365 Ste SC 443, Columbia $1,000
06/18/2008, Steve Swanson, 615 Pitt St, Mt Pleasant $1,000

That’s about, oh, $16,000. So, between the people S.C. Club for Growth could get to pony up the cash (Rich is head of Club for Growth State Action, by the by) and the money flowing from Rich’s coffers, that’s $51,000. And what was the total Millwood raised in the campaign? $55,927.18.

Don’t bother getting a calculator, because I’ve done it for you – Rich and his handful of South Carolina allies funded 91 percent of Millwood’s operation. And, yet he says he’s “not a walking special interest?” He owes his entire political life on Rich and his people, and don’t think they’ll forget it.

Brannon pushing petition deadline to join House District 38 race [The Herald-Journal]
Focus should be on local Republican Party, not its self-absorbed chairman [The Herald-Journal]

Howard Rich buys SCGOP, celebrates

stophowardrichsc.blogspot.com
Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

It’s well known the effort NYC real estate mogul Howard Rich has taken to trying to buy the S.C. state government, wholesale. Ross Shealy at Barbecue & Politics has done a pretty good job, showing how Rich bought and paid for several candidates on the sly, like Deborah Long, Scott Singer, Ken Roach, Ed Rumsey and Dee Compton, among others.

After the primaries and runoffs, it appears the chairman of the state Republican Party, Katon Dawson, is firmly in Rich’s pocket (and, paid for by South Carolinians for Responsible Government, no less). After all, why else would he be a party to such a fellatio session (seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here) with Rich?

We already know Will Folks and Jeff Sewell/Mike Green are in Rich’s pocket, and, seeing has how several of Rick Quinn’s clients have been neck-deep in Rich’s cash, Adam Fogle is flacking for the New York millionaire, as well.

Certainly, this must piss off the numerous General Assembly candidates that put a whoopin’ on Rich’s peeps. And, we know now that it’s not stopping. Just wait for the fun of 2010, 2012, 2014 and so on. If the people of this state are going to stop one man and his wacko lackeys from performing a coup on our state government, they’re going to have to keep at it.

Rich continues investing in SC’s political races [The State]
If you’re one of Howie Rich’s GOP targets, how do you feel about Katon Dawson right about now? [Brad Warthen’s Blog]

Machine guns, mustard gas, trench foot: just another S.C. election year

expeditionexchange.com
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That was quite something. And, at the same time, nothing. The one conclusion that can be made coming out of the end of the primary season is that in the on-going war for control of the Republican party, there is no victor in this battle.

Perhaps the biggest representation of this meme can be seen by two Senate races – Sen. Jake Knotts beat Katrina Shealy by 14 points, and Gov. Sanford’s former chief of staff, Tom Davis, ousted Sen. Catherine Ceips.

Or, if you look at it from the S.C. Club for Growth endorsements, those candidates went 9-8. The odd number keeps it from being right at .500, but considering the win was Lee Bright and the loss was Katrina Shealy, that looks damn close to 50-50.

The consulting firms that picked up most of the work for the governor’s anointed candidates – Starboard and Sandlapper – had horrible primary records. Everybody else broke near 50 percent, except for First Tuesday, which won all its General Assembly races with the exception of Rep. Scott Talley in Senate 12. That is a big loss, however.

One of the surprises of the night had to be David Herndon laying the wood to Sheri Few in House 79. The fact that she won’t make it to the general election is undoubtedly a major blow for SCRG, since she was the most visible pro-voucher candidate in an election year when those sort of candidates weren’t playing up that issue.

In the end, though, everybody seemed to get a big win or two, a big loss or two, and now candidates, consultants and third-party groups are retreating to their respective lines to retrench and get ready for the next assault.

Knotts, Herndon score big wins [The State]
Few built a bigger war chest, but Herndon is GOP’s House nominee [The State]
Bright defeats Talley [The Herald-Journal]
Martin topples Ritchie [The Herald-Journal]
Young wins House 81 seat [Aiken Standard]
Sanford? Jake? No Republicans here [Brad Warthen’s Blog]
SC Legislative Races – Consultant Roundup [The Shot]
Lexington votes [Barbecue & Politics]
2008 runoff recap [The Blogland of Earl Capps]
House leadership vacancies – the second shootout? [The Blogland of Earl Capps]

Runoffs to turn tide in GOP civil war

dixieprints.com
Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

It all comes down to today, on which the Republican primary runoffs for certain General Assembly seats will make the final designation as to if Gov. Mark Sanford and his friends won a marginal victory or suffered a marginal defeat.

The main event, to be sure, is the battle between Sen. Jake Knotts and former Lexington County GOP chairman Katrina Shealy. Sure, Shealy’s been backed by New York real estate magnate Howard Rich (SCRG, et. al.) and Sanford’s wealthy Lowcountry pals (S.C. Club for Growth, Carolinians for Change), and that’s given her a lot of momentum. However, Knotts has a good enough record among his constituents that it shouldn’t have gone this far.

The blame has to lay at the feet of his consultant, Rod Shealy, who managed to properly piss away Sen. Catherine Ceips’ chances against Tom Davis, and did such a horrible job with Rep. Carl Gullick that he only beat what amounted to a straw man by four points.

The truth is, though, Lexington County (outside of the nouveau-riche suburbs) doesn’t like Sanford or his people. And, who is more motivated to turn out – the irritated redneck, or the Michelob-drinking, polo-wearing, country club-attending faux bubba? The smart money is on Knotts’ people to turn out, allowing Jake to spank Sanford’s ass for another couple years.

Of the four undercard battles (Dee Compton v. Chip Stockman notwithstanding), the most interesting is Rep. Scott Talley v. Lee Bright in Senate 12. What makes it interesting is that Talley’s a smart guy, a fiscal conservative and a principled man, Bright’s an utter moron, and it’s still as close as it is. The only reason Bright can overcome his complete incompetence is that he’s running with the full faith and credit of Club for Growth and Sanford.

Talley’s consultants, First Tuesday, have an undefeated record against Club/Sanford candidates this cycle, while Bright’s people, the Quinns, have managed a so-so record on June 10. One thing is for certain, though – there are enough incompetents at the State House without adding Bright to the mix.

In another First Tuesday-Quinns faceoff, Tom Young is taking on Scott Singer in Aiken. Young should take this one, even with Singer being a signatory to the “hit list” proposal‘s “Contract for Change.” Young had a healthy lead in the first round of voting, so getting 50+1 shouldn’t be so hard.

In House 79, we’ll see if the GOP will be able to retain Rep. Bill Cotty’s seat. David Herndon, the moderate, stands the best chance at keeping the district Republican during a brutal general election effort against Democrat Anton Gunn. Sheri Few, who tried to take out Cotty the last time, not so much.

If Few is able to defeat Herndon, more than a few (no pun intended) Republicans in Columbia’s northeast will be helping Gunn’s effort, helping to tip the balance to the Democrat. There’s a real disconnect up there between your average Republican and the stone-cold crazies that back Few’s campaign. This one shapes up as a Rod Shealy, Jr.-Starboard Communications battle. And, much like Bright, we don’t need another wingnut downtown every six months.

As for Senate 13, that one’s over. Shane Martin, “the quiet man,” let Max Hyde whup up on Sen. Jim Ritchie, then stuck to the high road with his NASCAR events and NASCAR money. And, because of Ritchie’s mismanagement of his ambition for higher office, he’s going to get nailed today.

Our State Senate Runoff picks: Knotts, Martin, and a Toss-up [The Blogland of Earl Capps]
Runoff: Few and Herndon vie to face Democrat Gunn [The State]
Voters return to polls; Knotts, Shealy respond to each other’s attacks [WIS]
Runoff: Knotts, Shealy in heated rematch [The State]
NOW DeMint’s making things LESS clear [Brad Warthen’s Blog]
Young pushes job growth, education [The Augusta Chronicle]

Stalemate: the Republican primary battle heads into runoffs

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Originally uploaded by johnvierdsen

This election cycle has seen the stepped-up involvement of S.C. Club for Growth and South Carolinians for Responsible Government, as Gov. Mark Sanford and his allies have tried to oust members of their own party yet again.

The plan to do so, written by former Sanford spokesman Will Folks for Club for Growth last year, stated that it would take 15-20 new legislators to get the governor’s agenda through the General Assembly. Right now, that doesn’t look like it will happen.

The Club’s record going into Tuesday’s runoffs, as applied to endorsements of potential new legislators, looks like this:

Tim Scott (Win)
Tom Davis (Win)
Deborah Long (Win)
Joey Millwood (Win)
Mike Rose (Win)
Tommy Stringer (Win)
Wendy Nanney (Win)
Bill Wylie (Win)

Stu Rodman (Loss)
Joe Bustos (Loss)
Roger Nutt (Loss)
Trey Whitehurst (Loss)
Kyle Boyd (Loss)
Ed Rumsey (Loss)
Jim Whitehead (Loss)

Katrina Shealy (Runoff)
Lee Bright (Runoff)

For those of you scoring at home, that’s a record of 8-7-2 – not exactly what could be considered a mandate. If Shealy and Bright both lose, then the Club would be sub-.500 for the cycle, which is not, conceivably, what the people with the deep pockets were looking at when going forward in this effort.

The only way possible for the effort to be a success is if Shealy can knock off Sen. Jake Knotts and other legislators start getting scared. There really isn’t any reason they should be, though.

Consider this – the Sandlapper Group, run by SCRG’s Chad Connelly and Conservatives in Action’s Taft Matney, managed only a 1-5 record in their contested races (the 19-vote win by Millwood). SCRG was heavily involved in these races, but to no avail.

The conclusion? If you throw enough spitballs against the wall, some of them are going to stick. But it doesn’t appear that the best laid plans worked out.