Posted on Sun, May. 21, 2006

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ON POLITICS

Democrats need a boost

By LEE BANDY

lbandy@thestate.com

The 2006 elections are critical for S.C. Democrats.

“They desperately need a victory. They’re down to bone and marrow,” says Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen, a Republican activist.

The political landscape, however, favors them.

After being crushed in 2004, Democrats have positioned themselves to make a comeback this year.

Republicans are in a funk and may stay home on Election Day. And there is no presidential race to dominate the election.

South Carolina is one of the most Republican states in the country during presidential election years, ranking alongside Idaho and Utah. That makes it virtually impossible for Democrats to break out with a presidential contest on the ballot.

“If the Democrats are going to make any headway, this would be the year to do it,” offered Spartanburg-based consultant Ron Romine.

In 2004, President Bush carried South Carolina, winning nearly 60 percent of the vote. His coattails were long, carrying many Republicans to victory.

This year, there’ll be no coattails.

“This is shaping up to be a year of great opportunity,” said state Democratic chairman Joe Erwin.

Democrats have put together a slate of candidates to compete at almost every level.

S.C. voters are more inclined to give Democrats a good look the further down they are on the “food chain,” Thigpen said.

“The closer you get to the ground, the more willingness there is to vote Democratic,” he noted.

The Democrats need a boost.

Right now, they hold only two statewide offices — state treasurer and superintendent of education — and appear to be falling further behind in the Legislature.

Oscar Lovelace, a Prosperity physician, is challenging Gov. Mark Sanford in the GOP primary. Democrats are cheering him on. They hope he’ll get 30 percent of the vote and send the governor into the general election severely wounded.

University of South Carolina professor Betty Glad says Lovelace is softening up the governor for the kill, making Sanford an easier target for Democrats in November.

“If we are competitive in the governor’s race, that will help us up and down the ticket,” Erwin said.

Democrats must win something, however. This may be their last opportunity.

Furman University political scientist Don Aiesi, a Democrat, is not optimistic about the his party’s chances.

“The best they can hope for is to hold on to what they’ve got,” he said.”

What if the Democrats get wiped out?

“You can put their obituary on the front page,” Aiesi said.

“Oh, gosh,” Erwin said. “I don’t want to even think about that.”