A group of prominent S.C. business leaders — unhappy with Gov. Mark Sanford’s handling of the state’s economy — is trying to drum up a 2006 primary opponent for the Republican governor.

They might have found one in Bob Royall, the retired bank executive and one-time state commerce secretary under Republican Gov. David Beasley.

“Bob is giving it serious thought,” said Jerry Beasley, the former governor’s cousin who conferred with Royall and other concerned businessmen last weekend. “I’m confident he’ll run if the conditions are right.”

Royall, 70, was out of the country last week and could not be reached for comment at his Lowcountry home in Huger.

Others acknowledge a search is under way to recruit a “legitimate” candidate. House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, also has been mentioned as a possibility. Harrell could not be reached for comment late last week.

“I can’t deny this is not taking place,” said Warren Tompkins, a top Republican consultant with close ties to the business community.

Friends of Royall in the Pee Dee say he has told them that he is “very interested” in running. One Pee Dee businessman said Royall said “a lot of people had been to him to talk about it.”

Business leaders say they are worried about the state’s high unemployment rate, slow job growth, recent losses in high-profile industrial recruitment and Sanford’s rocky relationship with other state leaders.

“We have failed to be competitive, even in the Southeast,” said Mack Whittle of Greenville, chairman of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce. “We’re losing ground, and we can’t continue to do this. There is a high level of frustration in the business community right now.”

Of 17 business executives interviewed for this story, a dozen declined to talk on the record for fear of harming what little relationship they have with the governor.

Lee Bussell, immediate past president of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce and chief executive officer of Chernoff Newman, a major marketing and advertising firm based in Columbia, understands their reluctance.

“There has been a lot of quiet talk,” Bussell said. “But, for the most part, people are not willing to talk about it on the record. Part of that is the genteel environment we have in this state. We don’t like to talk bad about anybody.

“If there is true discontent, it will show up at the ballot box. I still think Sanford’s very popular with voters in this state.”

‘HE HAS THE POTENTIAL’

The governor does have admirers in the business community.

Bill McCrary, chairman of the S.C. Manufacturers Alliance in Greenville, is one of them.

McCrary says he doesn’t know the governor well. But, he added, Sanford “has the right priorities. He has the potential to get things done.”

Still, McCrary would like to see better relations between the Republican governor and the Republican-controlled General Assembly. “Somebody is going to have to bury the hatchet if this state is to advance.”

O.L. Thompson, owner of a construction company in Charleston, also comes to Sanford’s defense. “Mark is a catalyst for change.”

Sanford has been critical of his business opponents, suggesting they would be more comfortable in an oligarchy where power resides in a few hands. However, the governor declined to comment for this story.

His top economic development official, Commerce Secretary Bob Faith, has defended Sanford’s record in recent weeks.

Faith says the state has successfully recruited 105 projects to the state, totaling $2.76 billion in capital investment and creating almost 13,500 jobs across the state during Sanford’s tenure.

‘I WOULD VOTE FOR PORKY PIG’

S.C. business leaders had high hopes for Sanford when he was first sworn in as governor almost three years ago.

But that optimism quickly turned to disappointment, frustration and disillusionment.

Whittle, chief executive officer of Carolina First bank, supported Sanford in 2002 and contributed money to his campaign.

He might not in 2006.

“I’ll have to see what my options are,” Whittle said.

Translation: He might support someone else if a qualified challenger emerges.

Others are more blunt.

“I would vote for Porky Pig before I’d vote for Sanford again,” said Tim Brett, a longtime Greenville Republican and public relations executive.

There is plenty of “unease” in the business community, Tompkins says.

Many executives are alarmed over the state’s economic health and fear four more years of Sanford could do irreparable harm to the state.

They cite:

• The state’s 6.3 percent jobless rate — fourth-highest in the nation

• Little, if any, job growth

• The absence of an aggressive economic development plan.

Business leaders also are not amused by Sanford’s publicity stunts, such as bringing squealing piglets to the House chamber to underscore what he called pork-barrel spending in the state budget.

Such shenanigans, they say, play well with the public. But business leaders expect things to be happening, and they’re not.

Nevertheless, the dissident GOP business leaders concede Sanford will be tough to beat at the ballot box. He’s sitting on a $3.4 million campaign surplus — enough to discourage many from even running.

But, Tompkins cautions, “You can’t count on money as the end-all.”

Sanford remains popular among voters, polls show, but his job approval rating is starting to slip.

If the right candidate with the right message emerges, Tompkins says, the governor’s race could be a contest.