The Politico: S.C. GOP: Sanford must go
By: Andy Barr and Jonathan Martin
July 1, 2009 05:12 PM EST

Gov. Mark Sanford’s long and emotional interview with The Associated Press Tuesday appears to have been the final straw for South Carolina’s Republican establishment, much of which is now actively seeking his resignation.

While Sanford seemed to have weathered the storm in the brutal days immediately following his admission of an affair with an Argentine woman, his support has cratered in the wake of the AP interview in which he talked of his “tragic” and “forbidden” love for his “soul mate” and admitted to having “crossed lines” with a handful of other women.

Fourteen GOP state senators — more than half the Senate Republican caucus — have already called for Sanford’s resignation, joining a list that, as of Wednesday afternoon, included 11 Republican members of the state House and six of the state’s biggest newspapers.

And three leading South Carolina Republican officeholders, including the state’s two U.S. senators, called Sanford today for what sources close to the lawmakers described as frank conversations about the governor’s ability to carry out his job.

Sens. Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham, as well as Rep. Gresham Barrett, talked to Sanford Wednesday, according to three top South Carolina GOP sources who confirmed the calls, but were hesitant to say whether the lawmakers had directly urged Sanford to resign.

But Wednesday night, Barrett told the Associated Press that he had in fact asked Sanford to step down during their conversation. Two Barrett advisers subsequently confirmed the resignation request. In doing so, Barrett becomes the first member of the South Carolina congressional delegation to publicly say he thinks the governor should quit.

Of the three, Graham is probably closest to Sanford, serving as godfather to the governor’s youngest son. Barrett, who represents an Upstate district, is running for governor next year.

“The conversations are clearly geared toward doing the right thing,” said one top South Carolina Republican.

Another top Republican in the state said of the governor: “His support has collapsed.”

By placing private phone calls to the governor, the GOP sources suggested, their hope is for him to step down without further public pressure.

“Two days ago there were very few people calling for his resignation,” said Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.), who has not called for Sanford’s resignation. “It came out of that interview.”

Even state Sen. Tom Davis, the close friend Sanford mentioned frequently in his June 24 press conference, stopped short of backing the governor.

“Before any important decision I make comes due diligence, and I owe it to my constituents to perform that due diligence before taking a public position on an issue as important as whether to call for the resignation of a duly-elected statewide official,” Davis said in a statement Wednesday after meeting with Sanford. “I expect to form my official position very shortly.”

Republican Harvey Peeler, the state Senate majority leader, said the Sanford “romance novel” is beginning to wear on lawmakers who had previous held back on calling for the governor’s resignation.

“The pressure is mounting and he just keeps talking and changing his story almost hourly,” said Peeler, who in an interview with POLITICO referred to Sanford as “Governor Fabio.”

“I’m shocked that he’s stayed in office this long,” he added.

State GOP Chairwoman Karen Floyd, who had been quiet on whether Sanford should resign, released a statement Wednesday acknowledging that “there is clearly a growing view that the time may have come for Gov. Sanford to remove himself and his family from the limelight, so that he can devote his efforts full-time to repairing the damage in his personal life.”

Republican state Sen. Larry Grooms, who describes himself as a longtime Sanford friend and ally, told POLITICO he called the governor following the AP interview to tell him that he would be calling on Sanford to resign.

“Your effectiveness as governor has weakened to such a point … that we won’t be able to pass any of your legislative agenda,” Grooms said he told Sanford over the phone in explaining why he planned to join those calling on the governor to step down.

“Senator, you need to understand something,” Sanford answered, according to Grooms. “This is a story about true love.”

Grooms then told Sanford that he “was destroying the Republican Party, the party of personal responsibility,” to which the governor did not respond.

In hanging up, Grooms told the governor that he would keep him in his prayers.

“He asked me to continue to do that,” Grooms said.

Sanford has shown no signs that he is willing to step down.

“The governor has given a full and truthful account, and he is finished discussing this matter,” said Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer. “He is focused on being governor, on rebuilding his marriage and on building back the trust of South Carolinians.”

“This thing is real fluid,” said Katon Dawson, an influential former state party chairman who has not called on Sanford to resign. “The facts are that the governor of South Carolina does not have to resign today and does not have to resign tomorrow. Those are the facts, and I deal in facts.”

But many state Republicans have their doubts that Sanford’s focus really is on South Carolina.

“His physical presence may be in South Carolina, but I think his mind is in Argentina,” Grooms said.

One top South Carolina political insider said the unusually personal details of the interview have been “very harmful” to the governor.

“The last thing you need to do is say you’re going to come clean and then not come clean. It’s this extraction of information every day that is causing this erosion of trust,” the insider said. “You would think that at the press conference that he would have vaguely confessed to unfaithfulness and said, ‘The rest is between my wife and I’ and then walked away.”

“It seems like he is coming unhinged,” the longtime South Carolina pol added. “He needs to really go take a hike this time.”

Numerous South Carolina Republicans were so taken aback by the governor’s remarks Tuesday that they speculated about Sanford’s mental health after watching his life and political career unravel in short order.

“I think it’s obvious that he needs some help,” said GOP state Sen. Larry Martin. “He needs to quit talking to reporters and go get some professional help.”

Martin said the interview may have been “geared to pre-empting some other information that might come out” but turned into a disaster for Sanford.

“I think he was trying to do some damage control and it just got out of hand,” he said. “I can’t imagine his staff would have ever agreed to him doing that if they didn’t think there was some upside to it.”

Martin added: “I’m just sad for him.”

Peeler also said the interview left him personally concerned about the governor.

“Those were the ramblings of a troubled man,” he said. “I’m not a lawyer. I’m not a doctor. But I know when I see it. That man needs help.”

Asked about the press conference, Inglis said Sanford’s “close aides don’t need all those details and the state certainly doesn’t need all those details,” adding that any media handlers would “be telling him ‘you don’t need to tell them all that.’”

The GOP congressman said he was not particularly disturbed by Sanford’s comments to The Associated Press because “Mark tries to not be affected by being governor. So it’s his usual nonaffected behavior that is getting him in this case. ”

Inglis said he believes that because of the scandal, Sanford could have his best 18 months as governor if he chose to stay in office.

Sanford’s tenure could now be more effective, the congressman said, because of “the humility that can come out of this humiliation.”

But after watching the avalanche of statements on Wednesday calling for the governor’s resignation, GOP state Rep. Lanny Littlejohn estimated that Sanford will likely only be able to hang on to his seat for another week, an outcome he would not have believed only a few days ago.

“I can’t believe all this is happening. It’s like a dream. It’s unreal,” he said. “It’s just gotta be the shock of the year that things are playing out the way they are.”

The Greenville News: Pressure on Sanford mounts
Governor’s closest ally signals doubt as resignation calls grow

By Tim Smith
Capital bureau

COLUMBIA — The Senate’s leader said Wednesday that Gov. Mark Sanford had lost the support of the people, and his most trusted friend in the Legislature signaled he might ask Sanford to leave office, clear signs that the governor is facing intense pressure to resign.

By Wednesday night, at least 14 of the Senate’s 27 GOP members had either called for the governor’s resignation or said they believed it was the right thing for him to do.

The comments came the day after Sanford gave an interview with The Associated Press in which he changed his story about some of the details of his extramarital affair, first disclosed last week, and said he had “crossed lines” with other women during his 20-year marriage though he had not had sex with them. He also described his Argentine lover as his “soul mate” but said he was trying to fall back in love with his wife.

Joel Sawyer, Sanford’s spokesman, said Wednesday the governor didn’t plan to resign.

“The governor has given a full and truthful account, and he is finished discussing this matter,” Sawyer said. “He is focused on being governor, on rebuilding his marriage, and on building back the trust of South Carolinians.”

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett of Westminster, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor, on Wednesday became the first member of the state’s congressional delegation to call for Sanford to resign.

“This is an extremely difficult situation for all of South Carolina,” Barrett said in a statement issued to The Greenville News . “I’ve had two long conversations with Gov. Sanford in the past two days. Yesterday and today I told him what I believe to be the painful truth: The situation had spiraled out of control. It continues to spiral by the minute. And that for the sake of our state, for the sake of his family, and all of us who love South Carolina, he needs to step down.

“Unfortunately, it is clear to me that in this environment, the governor is no longer capable of effectively leading the state. We have an economy in crisis and the third-highest unemployment rate in the country, and just too many serious challenges for this to be consuming our state. I think we all wish it was different. But it isn’t.”

Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican, Sanford’s former chief of staff and a friend Sanford singled out in last week’s press conference, met with the governor and his staff Wednesday, as well as others, and said afterward he would announce a decision on his support soon. Davis said he also spoke by telephone with Jenny Sanford.

Davis said he planned to talk with Attorney General Henry McMaster and State Law Enforcement Division Director Reggie Lloyd about the review of Sanford’s travel records in connection with the affair.

“I can assure you that whatever official position I ultimately reach will be one that I truly believe to be in the best interests of the people of Beaufort County in particular and the state of South Carolina in general,” he said in a statement.

Other Sanford political allies were conspicuously silent Wednesday, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who spoke last week and Monday of giving the governor a second chance, and John Rainey, the businessman and lawyer who first convinced Sanford to run for office and said Monday he shouldn’t resign.

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell said Wednesday he wants Sanford to “do the right thing” but stopped just short of calling on him to resign.

The Charleston Republican said in a statement that Sanford needs to decide immediately if he is an asset or a liability to the state.

“Neither I nor my colleagues in the General Assembly can require that the governor resign,” McConnell said. “That decision is his alone. I do believe, however, that the governor has lost the support of the people that is needed to govern. Therefore, I would ask the governor to look in his heart and decide whether with his family situation and the public uproar over what he has done and said locally and nationally whether he can lead our state for the remainder of his term.”

However, U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis of Travelers Rest told The Greenville News on Wednesday that Tuesday’s disclosures hadn’t shaken his belief that Sanford should remain.

“I don’t think he should resign,” he said. “I think the 18 months left could be the most effective 18 months of Gov. Sanford’s tenure, if this humiliation brings a humility in approaching the challenges of the state and his willingness to work with other people to come up with solutions.”

Inglis said he expects more details to come out.

“That’s what you have to expect in a scenario like this,” he said. “Once a person starts confessing, you can expect for more and more to come out. But a lot of the details from here out won’t add to the essential matter, which is that Mark has confessed to infidelity. I think he’s pretty clearly a broken man because of it.”

McConnell’s statement follows those of a dozen senators since Tuesday who have called for the governor to step down or said they favor it. Among them are Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell has said he wants to await the results of a state review of Sanford’s travel records before deciding whether to call for his resignation.

Many House members said Wednesday they believe Sanford should resign.

McConnell’s request that Sanford “do the right thing” was similar to that of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, who told a national television news show Wednesday that the governor should make the “right decision,” without elaborating what that was.

“A lot of us are talking to him behind the scenes in hopes that he’ll make the right decision about what needs to be done,” the first-term senator said. DeMint’s spokesman told The News that the senator wouldn’t comment further on the issue on Wednesday.

State Treasurer Converse Chellis, a former legislator, also said late Wednesday Sanford should do “what is in the best interest of the state of South Carolina.”

Among the senators who said they believe Sanford should leave office were Sen. David Thomas, a Greenville County Republican, and Sen. Danny Verdin, a Laurens County Republican.

“With all of the information that has come to light in the past few days, particularly the truth, which differed from his original news conference, I believe he should resign,” said Thomas, chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. “If it is proven that he misused state money to conduct the affair, he should be impeached.”

Verdin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, said he was “stunned, sickened and disgusted” by continuing revelations from the governor.

“I feel his resignation would best serve him, his family and the citizens of South Carolina,” Verdin told The News .

Other Senate leaders who said they believe the governor should go include Sen. Larry Martin of Pickens, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee; Sen. Larry Grooms of Berkeley County, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee; and Sen. Thomas Alexander of Walhalla, chairman of the Senate General Committee.

Meanwhile, a prominent Democrat blasted leaders in both parties for dragging their heels on the issue.

“This is a matter of basic principle, and their reaction has been cautious political calculations of what is in their own best interest,” said Phil Noble, president of the South Carolina New Democrats, in a statement.

“They are asking ‘what’s in it for me’ — resign or not resign — and not what is in the state’s best interest. This applies to many politicians of all stripes, and it shows just how broken and dysfunctional our state’s politics has become.”

Noble said Sanford should resign.

“Sanford repeatedly lied to the people of the state,” Noble said “He brought shame and dishonor to the office he was elected to hold, and he has embarrassed and humiliated the people of the state that he is supposed to lead. This is all that matters. In a democracy, anyone who so violates their public trust should resign any public office or position they hold — from dog catcher to president.”

Also on Wednesday, Sawyer said Sanford had paid another $334 in addition to the $2,969 he paid Tuesday evening to reimburse the state for expenses incurred to Buenos Aires during a state-funded economic development trip to South America last June. Sanford announced last week he was paying the money because he met his lover during the trip.

Sawyer said the amount was calculated by the amount of airfare from Brazil to Buenos Aires on the trip, plus lodging, meals and other expenses for himself and a state Commerce Department official who went with him. He said the return airfare for the trip wasn’t included because he would have had to return anyway.

He said because of a spreadsheet error, the governor paid less than required Tuesday.

Reporter Rudolph Bell contributed to this story.

AP NewsBreak: SC congressman calls for gov to quit

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett has become the first South Carolina congressman to ask Gov. Mark Sanford to resign, saying people have lost confidence in him after his extramarital affair was revealed. The Republican told The Associated Press he called the governor Wednesday and told him it would be best for him to quit.

Barrett says Sanford can no longer be the effective leader the state needs as South Carolina’s unemployment rate tops 12 percent.

Barrett joins several fellow Republicans who have asked for the governor’s resignation after Sanford revealed new details this week in an interview with the AP about his affair with an Argentine woman.

Barrett is running for governor next year. Sanford can’t run again because of term limits.

10. The U.S. Census ($1 Billion)
9. “Green” Federal Buildings ($5.5 Billion)
8. Trail and Abandoned Mine Restoration ($125 Million)
7. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund ($600 Million)
6. Youth Activities ($1.2 Billion)
5. National Computer Center ($500 Million)
4. Amtrak ($1.3 Billion)
3. Administrative Expenses for the Food Stamp Program ($295 Million)
2. Smithsonian Institute ($25 Million)
1. Tax Break for General Motors ($3.2 Billion)

“Today’s unemployment figures reaffirm what we have known all along; the Democrats’ $789 billion government stimulus bill isn’t creating jobs. That’s why I opposed the stimulus plan from its outset, and that’s why I voted against it. The Democrats stimulus plan was flawed not just because it included items that had nothing to do with job creation, like Green Golf carts and turtle bridges, but because the private sector – not government – is the engine of growth in a free market economy.

“You can sum up my campaign for Governor in one word: Jobs. To get South Carolina working again, we have to create a climate for commerce in our state that rewards entrepreneurs, empowers employers and allows businesses to flourish. We have to establish South Carolina as the leading southern state for free enterprise. We have to reform our tax, fiscal, and regulatory structures. We have to invest in infrastructure. We have to re-establish the Port of Charleston as the central gateway between the east coast and the world. And we have to replace government as the single largest employer in our state.”

###

10. Volcano Monitoring Systems ($140 Million)
9. Federal Government to Purchase “Green Golf Carts” ($300
Million)
8. NASA ($1.3 Billion)
7. Design and Furnish the Department of Homeland Security
Headquarters ($200 Million)
6. Build an “Eco-Passage” so Lizards, Turtles and Alligators Can
Cross the Highway ($3.4 Million)
5. Digital Television Transition Program ($650 Million)
4. Polar Ice Breaker for the Coast Guard ($98 Million)
3. Community Based Prevention and Wellness Programs,
Including Funds for the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted
Diseases ($650 Million)
2. National Endowment of the Arts ($50 Million)

And the number one reason I voted against the stimulus…

1. Protect the San Francisco Harvest Mouse ($30 Million)

GOP Faults Some Stimulus Projects
The Wall Street Journal
Jonathan Weisman and Christopher Conkey
June 16, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124510694878716707.html#printMode

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are trying to fire up more debate about the quality of the projects funded by the federal stimulus plan, calling out proposals to spend $16 million on scarcely used rural bridges in Wisconsin and $3.4 million for “eco-passage” wildlife crossings in Florida.

These and other uses of federal stimulus money will be targeted in a report to be released Tuesday by the office of Sen. Tom Coburn, the ranking Republican on the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The report is a fresh effort by the Oklahoma senator to question the Obama administration’s spending priorities

Sen. Tom Coburn, the ranking Republican on the Permanent Select Committee on Investigations, will release a study of 100 stimulus projects, worth $5.5 billion, that he says are wasteful, damaging or just plain stupid.

White House officials say investigators were bound to find some faulty needles in a $787 billion haystack, but they say the Republicans’ $5.5 billion list of 100 dubious projects is thin, given that 20,000 projects have been approved. Some questionable projects on the list, such as a $1.5 million guardrail around a dried up Oklahoma lake, have already been killed. Two Defense Department projects were rejected before they got off the drawing board, officials say.

Others, such as a bridge and interchange project in Kalamazoo, Mich., are worthy projects that Mr. Coburn opposes because of his broader view that the government spends too much, the administration says.

“Bridges to nowhere will not receive Recovery [Act] dollars,” U.S. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jill Zuckman said.

Still, White House officials say they are ready to listen to criticism of projects. They already changed the timing on a Kansas road paving project after Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) complained that Old Highway 96 was about to be repaved just before a Superfund cleanup project was going to tear it apart again.

Mr. Coburn’s hit list is long and varied, but the subcommittee’s Republican staff say one thread runs through it: the need for speed and getting money into the economy is trumping due diligence and careful prioritization.

Many of the projects singled out in Mr. Coburn’s report concern the Transportation Department, which is administering roughly $48 billion, or 6% of stimulus funding.

In Wisconsin, 37 rural bridges carrying a little more than 500 vehicles a day — some far fewer than that — are on track to get stimulus dollars. Meanwhile, an aging bridge in Blooming Grove, Wis., which carries nearly 85,600 vehicles a day, is still waiting, according to the Republican report.

U.S. Transportation Department officials on Monday questioned the accuracy of the report, saying no bridge in Blooming Grove carries more than 40,000 vehicles per day. Republican investigators conceded they couldn’t refute the Transportation Department’s point, but they said they stand by their criticism that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is investing in low-priority bridges that are “shovel ready” rather than fixing structurally deficient bridges that have a higher level of use.

One small bridge near Stevens Point, Wis., is getting $840,000 in stimulus money, although it carries 260 vehicles a day, many of them to Rusty’s Backwater Saloon. Rusty Fischer, the restaurant’s owner, said the bridge is “definitely in need of repair.” Then again, he added, it is crossing a little creek that could have been easily and cheaply forded with a culvert.

It isn’t that the state was favoring Rusty’s bridge over a more well-trodden thoroughfare, said Peg Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “When the eligibility criteria were made available, we took everything [local governments] submitted for local bridge projects that were submitted,” she said. “Everything got funded.”

Mr. Coburn’s report criticizes Pennsylvania for proposing to spend $9.4 million to “renovate a 97-year-old train station that has sat vacant for more than 30 years.” Pennsylvania officials defended the plan, saying the Elizabethtown stop is in use, even through the station building is closed. State and Amtrak official say Elizabethtown is an increasingly popular stop on Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor, which links Harrisburg, Philadelphia and New York City.

The number of riders using the platform has nearly doubled in the past four years, said Steve Chizmar, a spokesman for the state’s transportation department. Passengers currently can’t buy a ticket at Elizabethtown and they have to wait on a platform covered by plastic sheeting, Mr. Chizmar said.

The Florida Department of Transportation plans to spend $3.4 million on road-crossings beneath U.S. Highway 27, in Lake Jackson to provide safe passage for alligators, otters, snakes and lizards. The “eco-passage” will consist of a series of fences directing animals to a 13-foot tunnel, although Republican staffers on the Senate subcommittee indicate a temporary fence appears to be cutting down the road kill already.

http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=4693

Thursday, Director of Government Affairs Andrew Moylan and Vice President for Policy and Communications Pete Sepp presented Congressman J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC) with NTU’s Taxpayers’ Friend Award for his consistent support of lower taxes and limited government. This is Rep. Barrett’s sixth award.

Congratulations.

But the Administration doesn’t seem worried about the need to disclose their intentions.

This from today’s Boston Globe…

“The Justice Department said that Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, one of 240 remaining detainees at Guantanamo, was transferred to New York today to stand trial for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed more than 200 people. Ghailani, who would be the first Guantanamo inmate to be tried in a US civilian court, is scheduled to appear today in US District Court in Manhattan.”

I signed on as a co-sponsor of the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act because I believe we need to put America’s security over politics. This bill would require that the Administration receive certification from state governors and legislatures before moving any Guantanamo Bay detainee into their states.

I’d be interested to hear what you have to say.

As somebody who’s run a business, I like to think I know a thing or two about what businesses need to grow and flourish. And right now, what they need is for us to reform the outdated and punitive tax and regulatory structure in this state. Just two quick examples; businesses in South Carolina pay the highest property tax rate in the country for industrial property and the seventh highest rate in the nation for commercial property.

If we want to attract new employers, who in turn bring in new jobs, and if we want to help grow businesses that are already operating in S.C., then we’ve got to make our state more business friendly.

I’ve got some ideas about how we can do that, and I’ll be sharing those thoughts in the weeks and months ahead. But, right now, I’d like to hear what you think. How do you think we can create jobs in SC? What reforms do you think are needed to make our state more attractive to prospective employers?

I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

“I believe it is unwise to rely on short-term federal funds to solve what are clearly long-term problems. But, the Court has made its decision and the process has run its course. I think it is critical for the future of South Carolina that we break this cycle of increased dependence on government and focus on what really creates jobs – the private sector. We need to encourage entrepreneurship, empower employers and enable individuals by reducing spending and by restructuring our tax and regulatory systems.”

Travis A. Butler, Gresham Barrett’s campaign treasurer, announced Thursday that Barrett’s gubernatorial campaign had raised more than $371,000 in three weeks, bringing his cash on hand to more than $1 million.

In the upcoming weeks, the Barrett campaign plans to announce its finance committee and unveil county leadership, while also launching a Web site.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett announced Thursday he has raised $371,000 in the three weeks since he announced his 2010 run.

That gives Barrett more than $1 million cash on hand to take on what is likely to be a crowded GOP field.

Attorney General Henry McMaster reported $1 million on hand earlier this week. Other announced or presumed candidates have yet to release their numbers.

Republican Rep. J. Gresham Barrett raised more than $300,000 to run for governor of South Carolina since announcing in early March that he is in the 2010 race for the post.

Barrett, who is forgoing a bid for fifth House term to run for governor, announced in a release Thursday morning that he pulled in $371,000 in receipts for his campaign in the first quarter of the year, and ended March with more than $1 million in cash on hand.

Said Jim Dyke, the campaign’s senior adviser, “The fact that Gresham was able to go out in what everyone would agree is a challenging fundraising environment and raise, in three weeks, what most candidates would hope to raise in three months is a sign that he is right on the issues.”

Barrett’s haul topped that of state Attorney General Henry McMaster, a likely opponent in the Republican primary for governor, who told The State newspaper in Columbia Wednesday that he raised $287,000 in the first quarter of 2009. McMaster also said he has more than $1 million in campaign cash reserves — ostensibly for a 2010 Attorney General race, but which could also be transferred to a campaign for governor if he opts to get in that race.

The candidates are positioning themselves for the contest to succeed Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, who was elected in 2002 and 2006 and has hit the state’s two-term limit. First quarter fundraising reports for the race, which cover the activity from Jan. 1 through March 31, must be filed with the state ethics commission by Friday.

Barrett’s cash could help him raise his profile in the state in advance of what is likely to be a crowded primary. He currently is best known in his largely rural western South Carolina congressional district, which includes the small cities of Anderson, Aiken and Greenwood, and he lacks the statewide name recognition enjoyed by McMaster and another likely Republican candidate, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer.

On the Democratic side, state Sens. Vincent Sheheen and Robert Ford are making moves to run, and House Minority Leader Harry Ott is also reportedly interested. Jim Rex, the current state superintendent of education, is another Democrat who garners mention.

Brent Nelson, chairman of the political science department at Furman University in Greenville, is also running. Another possible Republican candidate is Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, a lobbyist, former Ports Authority board member and namesake son of a late popular South Carolina governor.

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett made it official Wednesday: He’s running for governor.

And the Westminster Republican said economic development is his top issue for the 2010 race.

“It’s all about jobs,” Barrett said. “It’s all about economic development and bringing an economy to South Carolina that is second to none.”

Other Republicans considering bids to succeed term-limited Gov. Mark Sanford are Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Attorney General Henry McMaster.

A fourth Republican, Brent Nelsen, a political science professor at Furman University, said last week he plans to raise money for a possible campaign.

On the Democratic side, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden has also announced plans to raise money for a possible campaign.

Barrett, 48, graduated from The Citadel and served as a captain in the Army before returning to Westminster, his hometown in Oconee County, to run his family’s furniture store. He served three terms in the South Carolina House before being elected to Congress in 2002. Since then, he’s been re-elected three times to represent the 3rd Congressional District.

Barrett opposes abortion, supported George W. Bush for president and has advocated for a new nuclear reactor at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in his district.

He and his wife, Natalie, have three children: Madison, 21; Jeb, 19; and Ross, 17.

Barrett told The Greenville News that economic development is his No. 1 issue and that he thinks South Carolina can become a national leader in the field of energy.

“If we are going to really turn this economy around, if we are going to empower people, one of the key factors has to be breaking our dependency on oil,” Barrett said. He favors new nuclear plants such as the one Duke Energy Corp. plans in Cherokee County, as well as the development of hydrogen, wind and so-called “clean coal” as energy sources.

“I think we can lead in all those areas,” Barrett said.

Oconee County native Gresham Barrett officially announced his intentions Wednesday to run for governor of South Carolina. The Westminster businessman currently serves as the representative for the state’s third congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“It’s no small secret that for some time I’ve been giving serious consideration to running for Governor,” Barrett wrote in his official announcement. “This past weekend, after a great deal of thought and prayer, after talking things over with my family — with my wife, Natalie and our children Madison, Jeb and Ross — and after seeking the advice of close friends, I‘ve made my decision.”

Barrett also released a short video providing his goals for the state should he be elected in 2010, detailing objectives such as fostering a business-friendly environment, eliminating wasteful spending, reforming health care with free market solutions and improving the state’s education system.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Attorney General Henry McMaster also are considering running for the Republican nomination. McMaster’s re-election account has $778,426 on hand, according to his most recent state filing, after raising $110,750 in the fourth quarter of 2008. Bauer’s account had $435,757 after raising $160,978. Their accounts can be converted to gubernatorial bids.

Barrett joins Furman University political science professor Brent Nelsen in formally announcing a bid for the nomination. Nelsen last week announced his plan to run. Nelsen’s initial campaign finance report shows $5,912 on hand.

Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden announced plans for a gubernatorial bid last month. Sheheen has formed an exploratory committee, making him the first Democrat in the race.

Rep. Bill Sandifer, who served for six years in South Carolina’s General Assembly alongside Barrett, was informed of the news last night and quickly endorsed Barrett’s candidacy.

“It’s thrilling. I’m extremely pleased that an Oconee native son is seeking the highest elected office in our state,” Sandifer said. “I’ve known Gresham since the mid-’90s. He and I were desk mates and office mates for six years, and I’ve followed his career throughout his tenure in Congress.

“In my opinion, there is no one in the state of South Carolina nearly as qualified as Gresham Barrett to hold the office of governor.”

Barrett’s gubernatorial ambitions had been spoken off long before Wednesday’s formal announcement, with the Westminster-native acknowledging his interest in the position to the Daily Journal/Messenger last March as was reported then. Now that he has officially announced his candidacy, Sandifer said he was eager to rally support for his campaign.

“Gresham brings a few things to the table. The first is he’s a true and staunch conservative. Secondly, he understands South Carolina and its unique problems,” Sandifer said. “Lastly, he connects with people and has the best interest of the people of South Carolina at heart. I’ve pledged to help him in whatever capacity I can.”

Sen. Larry Martin of Pickens predicted Gresham would be one of the strongest, leading contenders for the Republican Party’s nomination, also adding that the assumed field of McMaster, Barrett and Bauer provides South Carolinians with tremendous depth in the party’s choices.

“He will be a strong contender for the nomination. He faces formidable opposition from Henry McMaster and most likely Andre Bauer, but it will give the party, I think an excellent choice,” Martin said.

Martin described Barrett as “down to earth,” and commended his experience in both the state and national levels of government.

“All the candidates bring something a little different, but the unique thing from our point of view is Gresham is a native of our corner of the state. He’s familiar,” Martin said. “Right out of the gate, he brings a high comfort level with a lot of Republicans as someone we can get behind. He also brings a business background to the race that I think will resonate with a lot of folks, particularly in these economic times.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett — South Carolina’s first well-known Republican to officially enter the 2010 gubernatorial race —said if elected, he would put economic development at the top of his priority list.

“It’s all about the economy. It’s all about jobs,” he said Wednesday. “Too many people think that government is the answer, that government can solve problems. They have forgotten about the hardware store in the middle of the block.”

Barrett announced his candidacy as expected via a Wednesday morning e-mail.

Gov. Mark Sanford cannot seek a third term. Lt. Gov.
Andre Bauer and S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster, both Republicans, also have expressed interest in running. On the Democratic side, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden has set up a fundraising account for a gubernatorial bid, and other Democrats also are considering a run.

Barrett, who represents the 3rd District seat formerly held by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, said his other priorities would include saving money through government restructuring, health care reform, improving education and respecting the state’s culture.

He previously served in the S.C. House from 1997-2002, and that’s where he scored his favorite legislative victory.

“My proudest accomplishment period, state and federal, was helping lead the fight in South Carolina on partial-birth abortions,” he said. “It was a wonderful thing to be involved in. We were successful in South Carolina.”

Although Barrett hails from the Upstate and ran a business in Westminster, he has at least one Lowcountry tie: He graduated from The Citadel in 1983. Barrett said he will run only for the governor job and will not seek re-election to the congressional seat that he has held since 2003.

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett entered the 2010 Republican gubernatorial race Wednesday, sending a video announcement by e-mail to supporters.

Money — including the economy, job creation and campaign funding — is likely to be the race’s top issue, Barrett, consultants and others said.

Barrett, a former state lawmaker and three-term U.S. representative from Westminster, is the first big-name Republican candidate to enter the race, following Furman University political scientist Brent Nelson. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Attorney General Henry McMaster also are considering bids.

That field would represent a replay, of sorts, of the 2002 race between Mark Sanford (then an ex-congressman), Charlie Condon (then the state attorney general) and Bob Peeler (then the lieutenant governor).

“These are uncertain times and I think I bring some certain qualities to the race,” Barrett said, referring to his military background and U.S. House service.

“I can bring people together. Bring the Legislature together, bring the business people, bring the laypeople.”
Barrett said economic development is his top issue, particularly focusing on the state’s more than 80,000 small businesses.

The economic conditions could work against Republicans who thrive among middle- and upper-class voters, said University of South Carolina political scientist Blease Graham. South Carolina has the nation’s third-highest unemployment rate, likely to soon exceed 10 percent.
“At 10 percent unemployment,” Graham said, “we’re all Democrats.”

Graham said Barrett faces more of a challenge than Sanford did in 2002, since Sanford’s contrarian positions had drawn national and state attention.

The candidate who can best convince voters that he is the true fiscal conservative, Graham said, will have the best shot in the GOP primary.

“Sanford didn’t start from scratch,” Graham said. “I think (Barrett’s) got a steeper hill to climb.”

Barrett’s internal polling data backs that up, with just half of S.C. voters recognizing his name. About 89 percent of those polled recognized Bauer, while 75 percent knew McMaster.

The poll of 500 voters was conducted by Virginia-based Ayers McHenry & Associates.

Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon said Barrett announcing early allows him to introduce himself on his own terms.

“You want to be the proactive person in defining yourself,” rather than leaving that to opponents, Huffmon said.

Barrett said he also looks forward to one-on-one contact with voters. State observers say those kinds of contacts may be mandatory, considering that campaign funding won’t be easy to get in this economy. economy.

Jim Dyke, Barrett’s Charleston-based campaign adviser, estimates the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary could cost $4 million. Others have estimated the total primary and general election costs at $8 million to $10 million.

According to his most recent federal campaign finance report, Barrett has $725,000 on hand. McMaster has $778,426 in his re-election account, while Bauer has $435,757. Both McMaster and Bauer raised more than $110,000 during the fourth quarter.

Republican fundraisers have said they are having a tougher time coaxing money from donors and expect donations to be down 25 to 30 percent than during a typical election year.

Less money, Graham said, could affect how much television and other advertising a candidate can afford to purchase.

“They need to be making the speeches, grabbing the hands, making the fundraisers,” Graham said.

In an e-mailed newsletter, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett announced Wednesday that he will run for governor in 2010.
“It’s no small secretly that for some time I’ve been giving serious consideration to running for governor,” Barrett, a Republican, said in the e-mail.
While acknowledging it is early in the process, Barrett asked readers of the newsletter to do three things: pledge their support to his gubernatorial race, donate money and pray for God to give him wisdom and strength.
The Upstate congressman said he made the decision to enter the race this weekend after “a great deal of thought and prayer” and conversations with his friends and family, primarily his wife, Natalie, and three children: Madison, Jeb and Ross.
Barrett is a 1983 graduate of The Citadel and was elected to his fourth congressional term in November.
His run has been widely anticipated by business groups in the Charleston region, some of whom have asked him to speak at various industry gatherings. For instance, he was the keynote speaker at the recent 75th anniversary gala celebrating The Propeller Club of Charleston, a maritime group.
State law prohibits Gov. Mark Sanford from seeking a third term. His current term expires in January 2011. The race to replace Sanford is likely to be an expensive one. Along with Barrett, Furman University professor Brent Nelsen has announced plans to run. Nelsen has never run for public office, but other current S.C. officeholders are likely to join the mix, such as Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer. Bauer has not yet made an official announcement.
In the e-mail, Gresham said, “The one question that I received over and over again when I was talking with my friends and family about running was, ‘Why do you want to be Governor?’
“My answer is really very simple: I believe South Carolina has tremendous potential, despite our serious challenges. I feel God has blessed me with strong experiences — in running a small business, raising a family, serving in our military and leading in elected office — that give me a unique conservative perspective on the challenges we face and how to fix them. I believe I have certain strengths in these uncertain times. And I believe we have to hold on to our conservative values and change the things that hold us back.”

Barrett said his priorities as governor would be to:
• Make South Carolina a national model for job
creation by incentivizing existing and new business
to invest in our people and communities, creating
thousands of high-paying jobs and getting the
economy back on track.
• Reduce government spending by restructuring,
eliminating wasteful spending and making the tough
decisions to cut government fat even when times
are good.
• Reform health care with common-sense, free market
solutions that empower patients and doctors to
make decisions and control costs.
• Fix K-12 education with new ideas for old problems
— innovation, competition and accountability — that
work for children and parents and reward good
teachers.
• Respect our culture, promote families and protect
life. Government shouldn’t dictate our values, but it
should reflect them.

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett is officially a candidate for governor, as the Oconee Republican made an announcement with a mass e-mail and video Wednesday morning.

In the video entitled “Opportunity,” Barrett plays up his deep South Carolina roots at his family owned furniture store in the Upstate and as a Citadel cadet. He also touches on his leadership experience as a former Army officer. Barrett served three terms in the S.C. House before making his run for Congress in 2002, where he captured the 3rd Congressional District seat once held by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Barrett is the first of the three most well-known Republicans who have shown public interest in the race to make an official campaign announcement. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said he is likely to make an official announcement soon. Attorney General Henry McMaster has publicly expressed interest in running for governor but has not made an official announcement.

Congressman Gresham Barrett announces bid for governor today

The Associated Press

March 4, 2009

COLUMBIA — South Carolina Rep. Gresham Barrett says he’s running for governor.

The Republican told The Associated Press that he plans to launch his bid today with a mass e-mail that will link to a short Internet video. He becomes the first well-heeled candidate to announce a run for the GOP’s 2010 nomination.

“Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we’re going to send out an e-mail to our supporters announcing my intentions,” Barrett said Tuesday by phone from Washington.

“I’m going to work my fingers off: working, getting to know people in South Carolina, sharing my vision, seeing people,” Barrett said of a race that will hinge on him building a statewide profile and running what promises to be a record-setting primary for money in tough times.

“When I enter this race tomorrow – tonight – I’m going to be the underdog again and I think what’s going to show off is hard work,” Barrett said.

Barrett, 48, wants to replace Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, who can’t run for a third term because of term limits.

The next governor, Barrett said, needs to emphasize economic development, spur energy production and revamp education.

“Number One is economic development. We need to make sure that our economy in South Carolina is second to none,” said Barrett, who has served in the U.S. House since 2002 after three state House terms.

The economy has been a lingering issue for South Carolina, which has the nation’s third-highest unemployment rate – 8.8 percent in December. But it also is a problem for political campaigns.

Barrett has substantial cash on hand already. His most recent federal campaign finance report shows he has $725,000 and he expects to use most of that money for his gubernatorial campaign.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Attorney General Henry McMaster also are considering running for the Republican nomination. McMaster’s re-election account has $778,426 on hand, according to his most recent state filing after raising $110,750 in the fourth quarter of 2008. Bauer’s account had $435,757 after raising $160,978. Their accounts can be converted to gubernatorial bids.

The recession and tough fundraising atmosphere “means that you’ve got to get serious about it and work, work, work,” Barrett said.

Barrett, a Westminster resident who used to manage his family’s furniture store in that Oconee County town, has been a proponent of offshore drilling for oil and natural gas as a way for the U.S. to become energy independent.

The former Army artillery captain in November won his fourth term in the House by defeating Democratic challenger Jane Ballard Dyer, a political newcomer and former Air Force pilot.

He serves on the Committee on Financial Services, the House Committee on International Relations and the House Ethics Committee. His 3rd Congressional District runs along the Savannah River in the northwestern corner of the state.

Barrett joins Furman University political science professor Brent Nelsen in formally announcing a bid for the nomination. Nelsen last week announced his plan to run. Nelsen’s initial campaign finance report show $5,912 on hand.

Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden announced plans for a gubernatorial bid last month. Sheheen formed an exploratory committee, making him the first Democrat in the race.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — South Carolina U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett announced Wednesday that he wants to be South Carolina’s next governor.

Barrett joins Furman University political scientist Brent Nelsen as the declared Republican candidates for next year’s election.

Barrett represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Pickens, Oconee, Anderson, Abbeville, Greenwood and Laurens Counties in the Upstate and also runs along South Carolina’s border with Georgia near Aiken.

He was a state legislator until he won the seat in 2002. Barrett succeeded Sen. Lindsey Graham in Congress.

Barrett said that he will focus on Economic Development, Energy and Education, what he calls the “Three E’s”

WYFF News 4’s Nigel Robertson interviewed Barrett. That interview will air on WYFF News 4 on Wednesday.

Barrett said that that despite winning four congressional elections, he is nervous about the upcoming campaign leading up to the GOP primary in June 2010 and, if he wins the nomination, the general election in November .

“It’s a good nervous,” Barrett said. “My wife and I and my family have thought about this a lot. We’re praying about it and I feel like this is a direction that the lord’s is leading me and no matter what the outcome, it’s going to be the outcome that he wants.”

Barrett wants to succeed Gov. Mark Sanford, who is prohibited from running for a third term.

Barrett and Nelsen are declared GOP candidates. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster have said that they are strongly considering joining the field.

Rep. J. Gresham Barrett made it official Wednesday: He will be a candidate for South Carolina governor in 2010.

The four-term Republican announced his candidacy electronically. He sent an e-mail to supporters linking to a video on his new campaign site, Gresham Barrett for Governor.

Barrett is the first of what is likely to be a crowded field of Republicans vying for the nomination.

Current Gov. Mark Sanford , a Republican, is barred from running for a third term and the open seat has attracted attention from a number of state-level officials on both sides of the aisle.

Barrett is the 10th member of the House to announce a candidacy for some other office next year. Three of the others are Democrats and the rest are Republicans. In addition, one House member, Republican Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, has announced he’ll retire at the end of 2010.

One senator, Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, is leaving Congress to run for governor of her state.

In the video, Barrett said he is running because his experience gives him “a unique perspective on the challenges we now face, and how to fix them.”

He touted his conservative credentials, saying his crowning career achievement was helping pass the state’s partial birth abortion ban.

“There has been a lot of talk about change in America but what we can’t change are our conservative principles. We have to maintain our values,” Barrett said.

Barrett served three terms in the South Carolina state House before running for Congress in 2002.

He graduated from the Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and served four years as an Army field artillery officer.

Barrett, who serves on the Financial Services and Foreign Affairs committees in the House, voted with the Republican party 99 percent of the time in the 2007.

Barrett is no shoo-in for the post. He lacks the statewide name recognition of other likely Republican candidates Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Attorney General Henry McMaster. Brent Nelson, chairman of the political science department at Furman University in Greenville, is running. Also interested in possible Republican bid is Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, a lobbyist, former Ports Authority board member and namesake son of a late popular South Carolina governor.

Despite the state’s conservative leanings, a handful of Democrats could mount a serious run. Democrats rumored as possible candidates include state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex; Joe Erwin, an advertising executive who formerly led the state Democratic Party; Inez Tenenbaum, a former state Superintendent of Education who lost to Republican Jim DeMint in the 2004 U.S. Senate race; and three state senators, Robert Ford, Vincent Sheehan and Joel Lourie.

Barrett has been mulling the race for some time and has stockpiled cash in his congressional campaign committee, which could be used to lay the groundwork for a gubernatorial campaign. At the end of 2008, Barrett reported having $725,000 cash on hand.

Barrett intends to serve out his fourth term in Congress but, regardless of the governor’s race outcome, will not run for re-election in 2010.

Republicans will not have much trouble holding the 3rd District seat. The district, which takes in the northwestern corner of the state, was the most heavily Republican in the state in last year’s balloting, backing John McCain over Barack Obama by 64 percent to 35 percent. Barrett himself has won the seat by more than 60 percent each race.

A number of GOP state legislators based in the area are likely to vie for the nomination.

Rep. Gresham Barrett of South Carolina will officially announce Wednesday that he will run for governor of his home state, a spokesman confirmed to CNN.

Barrett will declare his intention to seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination in an email to supporters and in a video posted on his campaign Web site.

“I believe I have certain strengths in these uncertain times,” Barrett writes in the email, according to an early excerpt provided to CNN. “And I believe we have to hold on to our conservative values, and change the things that hold us back… I am excited about this campaign, and honored to have the opportunity to share my vision for a more prosperous South Carolina with the hard-working people of our great state.”

Barrett was first elected to Congress in 2002 and won re-election in 2006. Prior to that, he served in South Carolina’s House of Representatives.

Current South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, also a Republican, is in his second term in office. Term limits prevent him from seeking a third term.

South Carolina’s Attorney General Henry McMaster and Lieutenant Gov. Andre Bauer are also considering gubernatorial bids and are likely primary opponents to Barrett.

Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.) will be announcing today that he is running for governor of South Carolina.

The four-term congressman will be announcing his campaign through an e-mail to South Carolina Republicans which will include a videotaped statement of his candidacy, according to the Associated Press.

“Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we’re going to send out an e-mail to our supporters announcing my intentions,” Barrett told the AP. “I’m going to work my fingers off: working, getting to know people in South Carolina, sharing my vision, seeing people.”

Attorney General Henry McMaster and Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer, both Republicans, are also exploring gubernatorial campaigns of their own. Barrett would begin a primary campaign with less statewide name recognition than McMaster and Bauer, but will boast a strong conservative resume from his tenure in Congress.

Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) is term-limited and cannot run for a third term.

Barrett has $713,000 in his Congressional campaign account, which he can transfer for a gubernatorial bid.

Barrett becomes the eighth House Republican to announce he’s not running for re-election; all of them are looking to run for statewide office. And all represent solidly Republican seats in Congress.

Barrett’s district is heavily Republican and is expected to remain in GOP hands. It gave President Bush 66 percent of the vote in 2004. President Obama only won 35 percent of the district-wide vote, according to estimates compiled by the Swing State Project blog.