In a statement released to the media this morning announcing its endorsement of Gresham Barrett, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce specifically praised his Putting South Carolina Back to Work plan, saying, “Gresham Barrett has a solid jobs plan and economic vision for the state, which focuses on job creation, a strong South Carolina Department of Commerce, comprehensive tax reform, ensuring South Carolina remains a right-to-work state, infrastructure improvement and energy independence. His experience, coupled with his leadership on so many issues key to South Carolina’s competitiveness, ensures he will be a great visionary for the state.”

The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce is the state’s largest statewide broad-based business and industry trade association representing more than 18,000 businesses and more than one million employees. The Chamber is a catalyst for increasing prosperity and enhancing the state’s global competitiveness in order to improve the quality of life for all South Carolinians.

Gresham Barrett thanked the SC Chamber saying, “I am honored to have the support of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Their hard work and dedication creating jobs and growing our economy in these tough times is to be commended. Despite the challenges facing our state, I know that together in a new spirit of cooperation and collaboration we can turn things around in our state. With an aggressive approach to economic development we can take South Carolina somewhere she has never been before.”

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The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Republican U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett and Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen in their respective bids for governor.

The Chamber is the state’s largest business-oriented advocacy group.

Barrett, the group said, “has a solid jobs plan and economic vision for the state” including maintaining South Carolina’s right-to-work labor rules, comprehensive tax reform and emphasis on finding alternative energy sources. Barrett is competing against Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, state Rep. Nikki Haley and Attorney General Henry McMaster for the nomination.

Sheheen got credit for supporting comprehensive tax reform, expanding the port and improving the technical college system and supporting low-cost energy sources and small businesses. His experiences in the General Assembly, the Chamber said, “make him equipped to handle the demands leading the state.”

State Sen. Robert Ford and Superintendent of Education Jim Rex also are running on the Democratic side.

This is the first year the state Chamber has endorsed candidates for governor.

“It is vitally important the business community be involved in the 2010 race for governor,” said Otis Rawl, president and CEO of the Chamber, citing the difficulty of creating jobs in a poor economy. “The Chamber is a bipartisan organization that knows real and sustained success for South Carolina will not happen unless both parties work alongside one another.”

An endorsement from Fred Thompson, the former senator, presidential candidate and actor, could help U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett with one of his biggest challenges in running for governor — lack of name recognition in some parts of the state.

Danielle Vinson, a professor of political science at Furman University, said the nod of approval from the well-known Tennessee conservative should give Barrett a short-term boost in positive public exposure.

“It gets him some attention from the media, and it helps voters who are paying attention make a connection to Barrett that may help them remember who he is,” Vinson said.

In endorsing the congressman from Westminster, Thompson was returning a favor. Barrett endorsed Thompson when he ran for president in 2008 and desperately needed a good showing in the South Carolina primary.

As it turned out, Thompson came in a distant third in the first-in-the-South primary and dropped out of the race.

In a statement, Thompson called Barrett a “freedom fighter who can get things done for South Carolina.”

“You just don’t get much more conservative than Gresham Barrett,” Thompson said.

Scott Huffmon, a professor of political science at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, said endorsements rarely push campaigns to victory.

“Fred Thompson is liked in South Carolina, but his presidential primary bid failed to generate a lot of excitement among the conservative base here,” Huffmon said.

In a recent poll by Winthrop University, 64 percent of South Carolina Republicans surveyed said they weren’t familiar enough with Barrett to have an opinion of him.

Slightly more than 48 percent said that about Attorney General Henry McMaster, another Republican running for governor.

Twenty-eight percent said it about Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, another Republican who has yet to formally announce a campaign, though he’s been appearing in gubernatorial debates.

The poll showed state Rep. Nikki Haley of Lexington with the least name recognition of all Republican gubernatorial candidates. More than 80 percent of respondents said they didn’t know enough about her to have an opinion.

Republican gubernatorial candidate and Third District U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett made a campaign proposal Tuesday to expand an immigration and customs enforcement initiative that would equip local law enforcement with the training and authority to tackle illegal immigration in all South Carolina’s counties.

Barrett, who is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Immigration Caucus, is proposing a statewide expansion of Immigration, Customs and Enforcement’s 287(g) program.

“287(g) is a program that authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, and it permits the designated officers who have been through that training to conduct immigration law enforcement,” Barrett said. “Part of the problem is that we have laws on the books, but we don’t have enough people to enforce it.

“This would give ICE additional agents in the field that are trained and would know how to enforce these immigration laws.”

Information from the Pew Research Center indicates as many as 85,000 illegal immigrants currently live in the Palmetto State. As of 2008, illegal immigrants had as many as 50,000 jobs in the state.

On a local level, state Rep. Mike Pitts said he is in support of Barrett’s proposal.

“I am fed up with the federal government and its failure to address this critical issue,” Pitts said. “Illegal immigration affects every aspect of our lives – from our hospitals to our schools to our jobs. Gresham is right. If we are going to solve this problem, then we are going to have to do it at the local level, and his plan to expand 287(g) to every county in our state is the answer we’ve been looking for.”

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“America is a beacon of hope in the world and ours is a nation of immigrants,” said Barrett. “But, there is a right way and a wrong way to come to this country. I have zero tolerance for people who sneak across our borders, break our laws and then take the jobs South Carolina’s hard-working citizens desperately need to make ends meet. After fighting amnesty for nearly eight years in Congress, I believe now more than ever that the answers aren’t in Washington. If the Democrats in charge in Washington refuse to put a stop to illegal immigration, then it’s up to us here in South Carolina.”

Barrett continued, “As Governor, I will propose a statewide expansion of ICE’s 287(g) program that provides local law enforcement with the tools, training and authority they need to enforce federal immigration law. I want to empower our local law enforcers with the tools necessary to help take a bite out of illegal immigration, and under the 287(g) program we can do that at little or no cost to our local agencies.”

According to the PEW Center for Research between 60,000 and 85,000 illegal immigrants currently call South Carolina home. As of 2008 illegal immigrants took about 50,000 jobs in the state.

Barrett’s proposal garnered praise from local legislative leaders.

“I am fed up with the federal government and its failure to address this critical issue,” said State Representative Mike Pitts (R-Laurens). “Illegal immigration affects every aspect of our lives – from our hospitals to our schools to our jobs. Gresham is right. If we are going to solve this problem, then we are going to have to do it at the local level, and his plan to expand 287(g) to every county in our state is the answer we’ve been looking for. I am proud to stand with him in this fight to crackdown on illegal immigration, to protect our families and their way of life.”

State Senator Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) added, “For me, enforcing immigration laws is about protecting jobs for tax-paying South Carolinians. With double digit unemployment rates, we have to use every tool at our disposal to ensure that every available job is filled by a South Carolinian.  Implementing 287g statewide is a great step.”

Currently only three counties in South Carolina – York, Beaufort and Charleston – are participants in 287(g).

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Thompson said in a prepared statement: “You just don’t get much more conservative than Gresham Barrett. He’s a freedom fighter who can get things done for South Carolina. As governor, Gresham will work to establish a climate for commerce that creates opportunities for all of the state’s citizens by scrapping the state’s antiquated tax code, reducing discretionary spending, restructuring the Department of Commerce, ensuring employers have access to a highly skilled and well-educated workforce, and aggressively recruiting new businesses to South Carolina.”

“South Carolina is facing unprecedented economic hardship. More than
270,000 people are out of work, and Washington is only making matters
worse. The Democrat regime in charge seems to have abandoned the
time-tested principles that made this country great: individual freedom, a
strong free-market system, low taxes, a basic belief in the power of
American entrepreneurism, and a respect for the values that strengthen our
families and our communities. Well, I haven’t lost faith in America or
her citizens, and neither has Gresham Barrett.

“These are serious times that require serious action. And make no
mistake, it’s up to us. I’ve heard Gresham say a hundred times, ‘If
we are going to take this nation back, then we are going to do it one state
at a time, and it starts right here in South Carolina.’ He couldn’t be
more right.

“The time is now. We need to unite behind conservatives we can believe
in – principled conservatives who defend our common sense values at every
turn, and who aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe. We need to
get behind leaders who will make a difference – leaders like Gresham
Barrett.

“A lot of folks talk about being a conservative. But what sets Gresham
Barrett apart from the rest is that he’s got the record to back up the
rhetoric. You don’t just have to take my word for it. It seems like every
conservative grassroots organization in the country has something nice to
say about Gresham.”

Barrett holds a lifetime score of 98% from the American Conservative Union
and is the most conservative Congressman from South Carolina according to
National Journal magazine. For his defense of traditional values, Barrett earned the Family Research Council’s True Blue Award. Additionally, the Club for Growth recognized Barrett’s commitment to free market principles naming him a “Defender of Economic Freedom.”

Senator Thompson added, “You just don’t get much more conservative
than Gresham Barrett. He’s a freedom fighter who can get things done for
South Carolina. As Governor, Gresham will work to establish a climate for
commerce that creates opportunities for all of the state’s citizens by
scrapping the state’s antiquated tax code, reducing discretionary
spending, restructuring the Department of Commerce, ensuring employers have access to a highly skilled and well-educated workforce, and aggressively
recruiting new businesses to South Carolina.

“It boils down to this: Gresham Barrett is the candidate with the best
ideas and the right experience to lead an economic turnaround in South
Carolina, and I am honored to support him.”

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Dear Friends,

South Carolina is facing record breaking unemployment. Over 270,000 of our fellow citizens are out of work.  We are in the midst of the greatest
economic crisis since the Great Depression.  Across our State people are
suffering.

Fortunately, Republican Gresham Barrett has a plan.

Last month, he introduced a specific detailed jobs plan to put South
Carolina back to work.  He believes we need comprehensive tax reform so
that our tax system is both fairer and flatter. He believes that we should
restructure the Department of Commerce to recruit new jobs to our State and
he has proposed an initiative to match up 40,000 open and available
positions with South Carolinians who just need a little on the job
training. This is a doable plan and one that has gained rave reviews all
across the State in recent weeks.

Unfortunately, Nikki Haley has no plan to address our State’s job crisis
and has since resorted to attacking Gresham Barrett, all the while not
telling the truth about her own record.

On January 28th, in a televised debate in Charleston, Ms. Haley directly
attacked all three other GOP candidates on the stage suggesting they all
supported President Obama’s stimulus plan. On February 12th she penned a
guest column in the Greenville News repeating the false accusation, and
today her campaign sent out a blast email again attacking Gresham.

These underhanded dirty attacks must come to an end. For someone who talks about good government, Nikki Haley is embodying all that is wrong with
politics today.

Here’s the truth…

#1 – The attacks are NOT TRUE.  Gresham Barrett, along with EVERY OTHER
REPUBLICAN, voted against President Obama’s failed Stimulus plan. Click here to see the actual roll call vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 13, 2009.

#2 – Nikki Haley is only trying to hide her own record.  Nikki Haley
says she has ALWAYS opposed President Obama’s stimulus bill, but the
truth is that she was the ONLY GOP CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR TO VOTE FOR IT. Yes, she voted for it.  See the copy of the House Journal provided in this blog which clearly shows her vote to add Obama’s Stimulus to the State
budget.

#3 – Nikki Haley wants you to believe that Gresham Barrett is not a
conservative.  Again, the record does not lie.  Gresham is rated the most
conservative Congressman from the State of South Carolina by the National
Journal and the American Conservative Union.  In fact, just this week
Gresham received an “A” rating and the top award, “Friend of the
Taxpayer,“ from the National Taxpayers Union. Additionally, Gresham has
voted against President Obama more than any other Congressman except for
one.

The fact is Gresham Barrett is a true conservative, and you can believe
me… I know; I was Senator Jim DeMint’s State Director for the past 5
years.

It is obvious that Ms. Haley’s campaign is not gaining much traction and
that she has resorted to negative and false attacks against Gresham
Barrett.  This is wrong and must be answered immediately.  As Gresham’s
campaign manager I will try to respond to negative attacks and
misrepresentations as quickly as possible.

You can help by calling Nikki Haley at (803) 834-7065 and let her know you
want her to stop the untrue negative attacks and begin to focus on the real
jobs crisis that exists in our State.

Sincerely,

Luke Byars
Barrett for Governor
Campaign Manager

COLUMBIA, SC – The National Taxpayer Union (NTU), a nonpartisan
grassroots organization of 362,000 members, today announced that Gresham Barrett is the only Congressman from South Carolina to have earned the group’s prestigious “Taxpayers’ Friend Award” for 2009. Barrett
received a 93% score from the NTU, the highest of any member in South
Carolina’s U.S. House delegation. This is the seventh consecutive year
Barrett has received the award, dating back to 2002, his first year in
Congress.

“Given today’s economic climate, fiscal discipline is more important
now than ever,” NTU President Duane Parde said. “Fortunately, taxpayers
have a staunch ally in Gresham Barrett, to whom the National Taxpayers
Union is proud to present a ‘Taxpayers’ Friend Award.’”

The award is given to Representatives and Senators who achieve an “A”
grade in NTU’s annual Rating of Congress. The rating, which is based on
every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy, assigns a “Taxpayer
Score” to each Member of Congress that indicates his or her support for
reducing or controlling federal spending, taxes, debt, and regulation. For
2009, a total of 333 House and 227 Senate votes were selected.

“Gresham Barrett’s pro-taxpayer score of 93 percent was one of the
best in the entire Congress,” Parde continued. “By voting time and
again to reduce federal spending, taxes, and debt, Gresham has led by
example in the fight to defend overburdened taxpayers across the country.

Parde continued, “If every Member of Congress was as principled as
Gresham Barrett, current and future generations of Americans could enjoy
much lower taxes and a less wasteful government. Hard-working families in
South Carolina and across the nation owe Gresham a debt of gratitude for
his effort on their behalf. Gresham Barrett has truly earned the title
‘Taxpayers’ Friend.”

Barrett thanked the National Taxpayers Union saying, “I am honored to
receive this award and grateful to the NTU for their dedication to
protecting the best interests of taxpayers across the country. I am proud
to have signed the ‘No New Taxes’ pledge and as Governor, I will work
with Republicans and Democrats to lower taxes and increase economic
activity so we can put South Carolina back to work.”

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