| Tenenbaum fights for room in GOP-leaning state AIKEN - In the final week of campaigning before the Nov. 2 election, Inez Tenenbaum is counting on a red dress, a feisty demeanor and a direct appeal to the parochial interests of South Carolina voters to win the state's open seat in the U.S. Senate. She's also counting on the Palmetto State's historic preference for mavericks who are willing to buck party chieftains when the best interests of the state are at stake. In a television ad that started airing in the area last week, she looks the camera square in the eye and makes this promise: "I'll never have any agenda other than what's best for South Carolina." Since South Carolina's two-term education superintendent started her Democratic quest for the seat held by retiring U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, her mantra has been "independent." She doggedly uses this adjective to describe herself and her politics even though she's been endorsed by national groups traditionally aligned with the Democratic Party and has received an estimated $3 million from the party. Such are the politics of survival for Democrats running for office in the South. Political professionals, such as University of South Carolina professor Blease Graham, say Mrs. Tenenbaum has to put plenty of air between herself and her party's presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, given the strong Republican leanings of South Carolina voters. To underscore the differences between herself and Mr. Kerry, Mrs. Tenenbaum has expressed staunch support for a strong military and U.S. troops in Iraq, a smart play given the martial ardor of the Palmetto State. She also supports the death penalty. To etch the contrast between herself and her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint of Greenville, an unabashed free trader, Mrs. Tenenbaum has called for a moratorium on future trade pacts that threaten U.S. jobs. She also lambastes Mr. DeMint, who has pointedly played up his close connections with President Bush, as a Republican puppet in dire need of support from U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and GOP Gov. Mark Sanford. Political pros give Mrs. Tenenbaum high marks for running a sharp, well-disciplined campaign that has put Mr. DeMint on the defensive. Motoring across the state in an RV dubbed the Red Dress Express, Mrs. Tenenbaum continues to make her pitch as an independent. "People in South Carolina will vote for someone they know and they trust," she said. "They'll vote for me because I've gained their trust. ... They're very independent and they're still that way."
Reach Jim Nesbitt at (803) 648-1395, ext. 111, or jim.nesbitt@augustachronicle.com.
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