CHARLESTON, S.C. - Two Republicans from the
South Carolina Lowcountry should be best friends. But several
lawmakers are speculating that all is not well between Gov. Mark
Sanford and Rep. Bobby Harrell.
During the recent contentious budget veto process, Sanford and
his staff publicly took swings at the powerful head of the Ways and
Means Committee.
At one point, Sanford said Democrats supported more of his vetoes
than Harrell and suggested the state's chief budget writer isn't the
fiscal conservative he claims to be.
Some lawmakers say the increased rancor is because Sanford
doesn't want Harrell to be the next speaker of the House. Sanford
refutes that.
"That's silly," Sanford said. "That's a House issue. We will work
with whoever the members elect."
Harrell is planning to run for speaker of the House now that
Greenville Republican David Wilkins has been confirmed as U.S.
ambassador to Canada.
Other lawmakers say Sanford is worried Harrell will oppose him
for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2006.
"I think all these attacks on Bobby are about them being afraid
he's going to run for governor," says state Rep. Robert "Skipper"
Perry, R-Aiken. "Bobby builds bridges, he doesn't burn them
down."
Harrell said he and Sanford have talked about 2006. "I'm not
planning to run for governor, and I've told him that," Harrell
said.
Sanford supporters say Harrell represents a political process the
governor wants to change.
"I think Bobby is an outstanding legislative leader, one of the
best I've seen in any arena, and I think Mark is trying to change
the arena," said Rep. Ben Hagood, a Republican from Sullivans
Island, which is also Sanford's home.
Harrell agrees that he is feeling some tension from the
governor's office.
"All I know is that I've worked very hard on a large portion of
his agenda and it's frustrating," Harrell says. "But I'm going to
keep on doing what I think is right and let the chips fall where
they will."
The bulk of the animosty between Sanford and Harrell seems to be
budget-related.
"I think Bobby is really a high-profile target," says House
Minority Leader Harry Ott, D-St. Matthews. "He represents the
budget.
"The governor has shown he's consistently against public
education, and Bobby's has always been a big supporter of public
schools. I think the governor holds that against him."
Others in the House say Sanford's goal of shrinking government
does not mesh with the political system in the Statehouse that
Harrell is very much a part of.
"Obviously, they have different interpretations of priorities,"
said state Rep. James Stewart, R-Aiken. "The governor and I believe
the highest priority this year is restoring trust funds, and Bobby
believes it is spending $50,000 to fix a tomb that's been
deteriorating for 50 years."
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