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Article published Oct 28, 2004
Senate candidates make final pitch
Alexander Morrison
Staff Writer
The top contenders in
the race for a South Carolina U.S. Senate seat crisscrossed the Upstate on
Wednesday, both emphasizing their plans to create jobs but continuing to be
sharply divided.State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum's campaign
characterized her opponent, Upstate congressman Jim DeMint, as working for the
interests of China.Tenenbaum talked to workers at the Inman Mills textile plant
in Enoree. Her campaign hoped she would find traction on the jobs issue there
with traditionally conservative Upstate voters.DeMint, who has consistently
supported international trade, calling it a crucial opportunity to spur economic
growth, also campaigned in the Upstate on Wednesday at rallies in Anderson and
Easley.Some polls show the Democrat, Tenenbaum, and the Republican, DeMint, in a
statistical dead heat, with support for both candidates within a four-point
margin of error.With that knowledge, Tenenbaum hammered at DeMint's record on
jobs."Jim DeMint is the biggest job killer in South Carolina," Tenenbaum told a
room of about 40 workers.She blasted DeMint for voting to give President Bush
the ability to "fast-track" trade treaties with other nations and for voting for
most favored nation status for China.She said these votes cost thousands of jobs
in the Upstate region, including 700 from three recent textile plant
closings."China doesn't need another voice in the Senate but South Carolina
does," Tenenbaum said, wearing her trademark red.She pledged to extend quotas on
Chinese goods at least through 2008. The quotas, which limit Chinese imports,
are set to expire next year.Kara Borie, a DeMint campaign aide, called
Tenenbaum's words "rhetoric" and scare tactics. The three-term Housemember
supports extending some quotas on Chinese goods, Borie said.DeMint's jobs
platform centers on reforming the tax code and lowering business costs.Some
Enoree workers said they had turned on DeMint."We supported DeMint when he first
came here, and he backstabbed us," said Wanda Lawson, 45, a training instructor
with the company.The Inman Mills plant has about 400 workers. Though only about
40 came to see Tenenbaum, the group gave her a warm reception."There are a lot
of hard working people out here that haven't got any jobs," said Buddy Hill, 48,
a technician.Unemployment in Spartanburg County was 7.7 percent in
September.Brad Burnett, manager of the textile complex, said Inman Mills had
hired 60 people in the last five months, a small reversal of fortune after years
of cutting.In 2001, the company closed one of its complexes, costing more than
200 people their jobs.Despite the fact that Inman Mills has found a niche market
– delivering a wide variety of textiles to East Coast companies that need it
fast – Burnett said he was concerned about the end of quotas."You've got to be
worried," he said. "If not, you're silly. You've got your head in the sand."In
her speech Tenenbaum compared herself to the retiring Democrat, Sen. Fritz
Hollings. She did not mention Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry,
as has been her habit.Jimmy Flynn, 44, a supervisor at Inman Mills, said he
leaned toward voting for Tenenbaum but said it would mean splitting his ticket.
He wondered if she "would be able to cross party lines to bring those parties
together."Alexander Morrison can be reached at 562-7215 or
alex.morrison@shj.com.