COLUMBIA--State Sen. Tommy Moore, a Democrat from
Clearwater, is expected to announce his candidacy for governor this weekend.
House and Senate Democratic leaders said it is virtually certain that Moore
will challenge Gov. Mark Sanford in 2006.
The official announcement likely will come Saturday during the State
Democratic Convention in Columbia.
Moore, a 25-year veteran of the Legislature, said Wednesday that he wasn't
ready to make an announcement.
"My plans are under wraps right now," he said. "It's not a final decision. I
continue to talk to family and friends and supporters."
But Democratic lawmakers said Moore is just waiting for the right time to
make an announcement.
"I continue to stick to my timetable," Moore said. "I will be making a
decision soon. It is a very, very serious question that requires a great deal of
time, effort and deliberation."
For the last month, Moore's name often has surfaced as a likely candidate. He
was at the top of a list of potential Democratic contenders that included Rep.
Harry Ott and Sen. Brad Hutto. Both of those lawmakers decided against running.
Moore still could face opposition in the Democratic primary. Florence Mayor
Frank Willis said recently that he seriously is considering running.The
Democratic candidate -- or candidates -- who emerge would face an uphill 1-1/2
year campaign against the popular Republican governor.
Sanford supporters say his approval rating has only grown since he was
elected in 2002 by 53 percent of the electorate.
"There's no one with Sanford's name recognition that could even get close to
challenging the governor," said House Majority Leader Jim Merrill.
The minority party acknowledges it has some work to do.
"I think (Moore's name recognition) is pretty good for folks that know
politics in South Carolina," said Phil Bailey, political director of the Senate
Democratic Caucus. "It is nowhere near Sanford, but that's what campaigns are
about."
A matchup between Moore and Sanford could be an intriguing political contest.
Democrats likely would paint the governor as being out touch with the average
South Carolinian.
Moore, who represents a large district along the Georgia border near Aiken,
bills himself as the average citizen.
He's a small-business owner with a modest upbringing in a rural area. A
lifelong South Carolinian, he married his high school sweetheart and has two
grown children.
On the issues he's pro-business and a public education advocate with a
noteworthy ability to cross party lines to strike compromises in the Senate,
legislators say.
Sen. John Land, the Democratic leader, said Moore is known as the "go-to man"
in the Senate.
"Senator Moore has a unique ability to bring people together," Land said.
"All the major legislation has Senator Moore's handprint right there."
Land and other lawmakers have been touting Moore's attributes at recent press
conferences and in interviews. They are eager to have a candidate at the top of
the ballot who can begin attacking Sanford.
And they are hoping an announcement will come this weekend. "I don't know
about you, but I'd be there," Land said.
STATE SEN. TOMMY MOORE
Party: Demo-crat
Age: 54
Hometown: Clearwater
Experience: In his 24th year in the Senate; served one year in the
House
Occupation: Owns an industrial general contracting business
Family: Married 34 years to Dale Johnson Moore, two grown children
John Frank covers state politics and the Legislature from Columbia. Contact
him at jbfrank@postandcourier.com or (803)
799-9051.
