COLUMBIA - Instead of putting the pedal to the metal, lead-footed Lt.
Gov. Andre Bauer put his feet to the street Wednesday as he walked 10
miles to file his re-election papers.
The "symbolic gesture," as Bauer called it, came a day after reports
surfaced that the Republican was stopped twice for speeding in a two-month
period, once for going 101 mph, but not ticketed either time.
"It's symbolic of the fact that I'm going to allocate more time to get
where I'm going to be," said Bauer, who also walked a mile to the
Statehouse in the morning, where he presided over the Senate. "I'm going
to do a little more walking. It's a self-imposed penalty."
The 37-year-old businessman trekked from the Statehouse to the South
Carolina Republican Party headquarters in Lexington County to officially
declare he is seeking a second term as the state's No. 2 ranking
official.
He walked briskly, politely refusing rides from police officers who
pulled alongside him as he walked with his sister Drea Bauer, a Mount
Pleasant real estate attorney.
Bauer faces at least two Republican challengers in the June 13 GOP
primary, a race that became much tighter with the news that Bauer received
favorable treatment from the Highway Patrol after identifying himself as
the lieutenant governor.
Political pundits say Bauer shot his re-election campaign in the foot
with the missteps but didn't kill it entirely.
"I think it means he just created a race when he may or may not have
had one before," said Chip Felkel, an Upstate Republican consultant. "The
lieutenant governor is running a risk of being known more for his mishaps
than for his accomplishments."
The most recent episode occurred at 11:45 p.m. Feb. 25. Bauer was
clocked traveling 101 mph in a 70 mph zone while driving a state-issued
vehicle on Interstate 77 in Chester County.
On Dec. 26 in Laurens County, a state trooper pulled Bauer over for
going 78 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 385 in his 2006 BMW sports
car.
These cases came after a May 2003 incident in which Bauer was given two
tickets for running red lights and speeding through downtown Columbia to
get to the Statehouse.
Bauer's GOP challengers and Democrats were quick to factor politics
into the buzz that surrounded the news. The incident also led to some
sympathy from voters but sparked more outrage, including a few calls for
his resignation.
Republican opponent Mike Campbell, a Columbia businessman and son of
the late Gov. Carroll A. Campbell, acknowledged the political
implications. "I think the pattern of behavior that exists speaks for
itself," said Campbell, who loaned his own campaign $500,000 Wednesday. "I
think the state has put up with this long enough."
Bauer's troubles also helped spur another candidate into the Republican
primary. Henry Jordan of Anderson, a former state education board member,
made his candidacy official Wednesday, saying he joined the fray because
he doesn't feel Bauer best represents the people.
The winner of the GOP contest will face Democrat Robert Barber, a
former lobbyist and Charleston lawmaker.
Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University,
said the incident gives Bauer's opponents, particularly Campbell, an
advantage. But the size of that gain depends on whether voters remember
this incident 76 days from now when they go to the polls.
"The amount of time ... helps the relevance fade and gives him time to
make amends," he said.
Bauer said he hopes voters judge his tenure as a whole.
"I hope that they'll look at my overall 10 years of service and the
good things that have been accomplished since I've been lieutenant
governor," he said, mentioning his responsibilities managing the state's
Office on Aging.
But the speeding incidents are the talk of the state.
Jock Stender of Charleston said the incident is just another example of
"the culture of corruption in Columbia."
"I think he ought to resign," he said. "I'd vote for the dog catcher if
he was running against this kid."
Reach John Frank at jbfrank@postandcourier.com or
(803) 799-9051.