This is a printer friendly version of an article from
www.goupstate.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose
Print.
Back
Article published Jun 9, 2004
Inglis wins easily in GOP primary
Tony Taylor
Staff
Writer
There was little suspense surrounding the outcome of
Tuesday's Republican primary for the state's 4th Congressional District.Former
U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis was the frontrunner from the start of the campaign.Inglis
rolled over state Employment Security Commissioner Carole Wells and political
newcomer Jack Adams Tuesday night, capturing 88 percent of the total vote.Inglis
is one step closer to reclaiming the seat he vacated in 1998.He will face
Democratic candidate Brandon Brown in the general election.Brown, a Greenville
funeral home director, defeated Andrew Wittman, a Greer businessman, for the
Democratic nomination."I'm a little bit surprised," Inglis said of the lopsided
victory. "We'll have to see if it holds up, but it's exciting."Inglis held a
strong advantage over his rivals from the start of the campaign.Inglis raised
nearly $350,000 more than Wells, his closest opponent."You're the reason we're
in this spot right now," Inglis said to campaign contributors gathered at
Salsaritas in Greenville Tuesday night.Inglis credited the enormous amount of
contributions he received for keeping other potential candidates at bay.In
addition to raising money, Inglis was relentless in his campaigning.He organized
dozens of door-to-door events split evenly between Spartanburg and
Greenville.The strategy paid off for Inglis, whosoundly defeated Wells in
Spartanburg, her home county.The 4th District covers Greenville, Spartanburg and
Union counties.Unofficially, Inglis received 17,457 votes in Spartanburg County
to Wells' 3,985. Adams had 899 votes in Spartanburg County.In Union County,
Inglis recorded 460 votes; Wells, 35; and Adams, 14.Wells, who represented
Spartanburg County in the state House for 10 years, said she was unable to
overcome Inglis' fundraising advantage."We did all we could with what we had,"
Wells said of her campaign. "You can only do so much. I had the volunteers, but
I didn't have the money."When Inglis was elected to Congress in 1992, he pledged
to serve only three terms.He upheld his pledge and vacated his seat to challenge
U.S. Sen. Ernest Hollings in 1998.Inglis said it was a mistake to step down
after three terms. He plans to make no such promise this time."I figured out
along the way it was mistake to limit my term because the institution treats you
differently when it knows you're leaving," he said. "Having made the commitment,
I had to honor it. But I won't make the same mistake."Tony Taylor can be reached
at 562-7219 or tony.taylor@shj.com.