GOP Senate race hits debate mode

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Tonight, all six of the GOP candidates will square off in a debate at Furman University. It will be televised statewide, beginning at 7 p.m. In the Upstate, it will air on WSPA-TV.

Beasley's ad focuses on trade and comes just a week after reports showing South Carolina has the nation's fourth-highest unemployment rate.

He's the most recent major entrant in the GOP field, and the last among them to run commercials. Former state Attorney General Charlie Condon, U.S. Rep, Jim DeMint and Thomas Ravenel, a Charleston developer largely funding his own campaign, are or have been on the air.

There are two other candidates seeking the nomination, Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride and Bluffton businesswoman Orly Benny Davis.

Democratic Sen. Ernest F. Hollings is retiring when his term ends in January. Two Democrats are running, state Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum and perennial candidate Ben Frazier.

In his 30-second spot, Beasley is shown standing inside an abandoned factory and says, "Places like this once put food on a lot of tables. Now, those jobs are gone, to countries like China.

"It's unfair trade. And Washington politicians are letting it happen. I'll stand up for our jobs," he concludes.

An unseen announcer notes the economic boom with 110,000 new jobs that marked Beasley's 1995-99 term. Beasley was defeated for re-election in 1998 by Democrat Jim Hodges.

Beasley has eschewed protective tariffs for U.S. industries, but has called for strict enforcement of existing trade laws and international treaties.

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Dan Hoover covers politics and can be reached at 298-4883.