But in May, when he presented a list of 16 initiatives close to his heart, only three had been passed by the Legislature. His top priorities, income tax relief and government restructuring, weren't among them.

As he faces the start of the 2005 Legislature, dropping the income tax in an effort to stimulate small business growth and further streamlining how the government runs remain at the top of his list. So does tort reform and providing more educational options for parents.

Political experts say the governor needs some of his monumental proposals to pass if he plans to sculpt any kind of lasting political legacy. But Mr. Sanford, who has never been much of a traditionalist, views his first two years in office and the one that's just begun through a different lens.

He wants to pass legislation, but he says he's also breathing new life into how government works in Columbia, keeping leaders open to fresh and innovative ideas.

"The bigger umbrella, outside of any single legislative item, is changing the debate, so ultimately change can come," Mr. Sanford said in an interview last week. "I'd say that's probably the biggest thing we bring to the table.

"Challenging the status quo, I think, is awfully important to creating the change we're after."

Under his watch, campaign finance and commerce laws have passed that shed more light on political contributions and deals involving the state and big business. He's also closely scrutinized how state agencies operate and eliminated overlapping services.

But he's also had no problem bucking the system and agitating the lawmakers he must work with to enact the change he so desperately seems to want.

Carrying two squealing pigs into the Statehouse earlier this year, a show of disdain for what he called excess "pork-barrel" spending by the Legislature, might be his most notable stunt.

But despite the clashes, he's managed to stay in the good graces of many of his Republican colleagues. Fourteen of the governor's top 16 priorities passed the House in 2004. And the House Republican caucus, which is in the majority, has again pledged to support some of Mr. Sanford's key proposals, including his pitch to drop the income tax from 7 percent to 4.75 percent in 10 years and allowing the governor to appoint some statewide positions that are currently elected, possibly including the education superintendent.

"I'm going to try to help him every way I can," said state Rep. Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, who as chairman of the House Ways and Means committee plays a key role in drafting the state's budget.

"I am hoping that this year he tries harder to work with us," Mr. Harrell said. "There is widespread support in the House. The issue is, can we get it out of the Senate?"

In the 2004 session, the Senate was a brick wall for the governor's initiatives, including the income tax plan that he started promoting during his run for office. And as long as the rules stay the same - Mr. Sanford supports changing them so one senator can't filibuster a bill to death - his plan is endangered.

Several Democrats, including state Sen. Tommy Moore, of Clearwater, say the state's education system and cash-starved agencies can't afford an income tax reduction. He and state Sen. John Land, D-Manning, have proposed a plan that would lower the income tax for small businesses from 7 percent to 5 percent, which they say could spur growth without robbing the state of too much income.

"Every aspect of South Carolina government is underfunded," said Mr. Land, who filibustered Mr. Sanford's tax plan last year. "For us to talk about a tax cut is just ludicrous."

Democrats aren't especially fond of plans to change the Senate rules, either. Other governors have passed unpopular legislation when their party didn't even control the Legislature, as the Republicans do now, so Mr. Sanford can play by the same rules, they say.

"When your party has control and you can't get something passed, there's nothing wrong with the rules," said Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston. "There's something wrong with you."

Mr. Sanford's allies, including Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, are sticking by his side.

"Many of the senators like myself are tired of a Senate that can't move in any direction. It's just gridlock," said Mr. Ryberg, who says the income tax reduction plan would spur business growth.

The governor has an improving economy in his favor. After Senate revisions to his plan, the income tax reduction he sought was tied to general fund growth of at least 2 percent. And economic forecasters show the state bringing in excess money for the first time in three years.

He says he's patient. If there's something he's learned about change, it's that "it never happens as quickly as you like," he said.

"That's the nature of political change," he added. "It's incremental.

"Our founding fathers were very deliberate in setting up political systems that do not turn on a dime. But they turn over time, if there is sustained, constant pressure in a consistent direction."

Governor's goals

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has a "Contract for Change" that outlines five goals he says will make the state more competitive economically and a better place to live:

Income tax relief: A drop from 7 percent to 4.75 percent in 10 years

Government restructuring: Allowing the governor's office to appoint statewide officials who are now elected and the restructuring of health care and administrative agencies in the state

More educational choices for parents: Creating vouchers that would give tax credits to parents who transfer a child from one school district to another or put a child in private school

Tort reform: Limitations on frivolous lawsuits brought without merit

Changing Senate rules: Ending a senator's ability to filibuster a bill to death

Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 113, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.

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