Staton gets opponent's nod as Floyd, Sanford tour state together

JOHN C. DRAKE

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford and GOP education superintendent candidate Karen Floyd set off on a five-city tour Friday as her chief primary rival Bob Staton accepted the endorsement of a third candidate in the five-way race, Kerry Wood.

The developments come in the final push toward Tuesday's primary in a race some observers see as a referendum on school choice among Republicans.

Staton, who opposes sending tax money to parents for private school tuition, faces Floyd, who supports expanding school choice, including tuition tax credits or private school vouchers. Wood's decision to drop out leaves Elizabeth Moffly and Mike Ryan as the remaining active candidates in the GOP primary.

"I was never in this to win an election so much as I wanted to affect the change of education in our state," said Wood, a computer programmer who splits his time between Lexington and Spartanburg counties.

Wood's decision to endorse Staton is not a surprise. Wood said that if he did not make it into a runoff, he would vote for Staton during a May 28 debate on South Carolina ETV.

Floyd did not seem too concerned about the impact Wood's decision could have on the race.

"I'm standing here with the governor of the state of South Carolina," Floyd said when asked about it Friday at the Charleston International Airport during the second of five stops in a one-day fly-around of the state. "I'm sure Mr. Wood and Mr. Staton might be pleased with that endorsement, but I feel that the governor of the state of South Carolina and the folks who support our great governor will obviously lend themselves to making our message of reform heard."

Sanford endorsed Floyd in October, when she was one of just two announced candidates in the GOP primary.

Floyd's campaign has focused on increasing school discipline, expanding school choice and improving school accountability.

"I have historically not endorsed, but I am endorsing Karen because I do think it's that important," Sanford said.

"I need more allies in Columbia in this greater push that the administration is about toward reform," added Sanford, who said he has also endorsed Greg Ryberg for treasurer in the GOP primary.

Staton pointed out that Sanford's endorsement came before he entered the race. His campaign has focused on restructuring the education department and recruiting quality teachers.

"I'm very comfortable with where we are and focused on winning on Tuesday," Staton said.

University of South Carolina political science professor Blease Graham said being part of Sanford's team should help Floyd on Tuesday, provided the governor does well in his own primary. Graham suggested that as long as Sanford's primary opponent, Dr. Oscar Lovelace, manages fewer than 20 percent of the vote, then the governor is positioned as a strong incumbent.

"To have a kind of team or ticket approach, to the extent that the governor is successful, should certainly rub off on a member of his team," Graham said.

Wood's endorsement would probably be "a minor plus" for Staton's campaign, said Francis Marion University political science professor Neal Thigpen

On the other hand, he said some voters could be turned off by Sanford's involvement in the race.

"This business of the head of the party interfering in primaries with endorsements, I think, is a slap in the face of every good Republican whose worked to build this party," said Thigpen, who has supported GOP candidates.

Wood said he has a base of support to hand to Staton, particularly in Spartanburg, where Floyd served as chairwoman of the County Council.

"I think I can bring a great deal in the Upstate," Wood said.

Ryan, who says his strength is that he is the only person in the race with classroom teaching experience, acknowledges that his weakness is a lack of campaign cash. For that reason, he said he is targeting voters along the coast from Charleston to Myrtle Beach and west to Sumter.

"I've always been told money can't buy experience, so I hope that's the case," he said. "My plan from the start with limited resources was to try to get this to a runoff. And then voter turnout in a runoff can totally change everything. I think that levels the playing field as far as not having money."

Moffly said her success in the race will depend on how closely teachers and parents are watching the race.

"My constituents are those that are affected by the system; it's the teachers and the parents," she said. "Unfortunately, I've been running on issues and not campaign finance and gimmicks, but we'll see what the constituents have to say come Tuesday."

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Associated Press Writer Bruce Smith in Charleston contributed to this story.