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GOP in position to retain control of Statehouse

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COLUMBIA -- The balance of power in the S.C. House of Representatives is unlikely to change in the Nov. 7 election.

While there may be some turnover, the large number of "safe" seats and uncontested races probably will leave Republicans in firm control of the House, where all 124 seats are up for election. The GOP holds 74 of those seats.

Republican officials say only eight to 10 House races statewide are competitive. They expect to pick up or lose only three or four seats.

A Democratic House leader agreed with that assessment.

No state Senate seats are up for election this year.

Nationally, Democrats -- aided by voter concerns about the war in Iraq, and Washington lobbying and House page scandals -- are battling to take control of both the U.S. House and Senate.

However, the Iraq and scandal issues have not filtered down to the local level, according to candidates and experts.

"I really don't expect that happening," said Scott Huffmon, a political scientist at Winthrop University. "People are willing to ride an anti-incumbent sentiment at the national level but still

re-elect their local legislator because he's 'one of us.'"

State House Majority Leader Jim Merrill has been working on behalf of Republican candidates all year.

"I'm more worried about apathy than I am about a 'throw-the-bums-out'" mentality, he said.

As a result of court decisions and redistricting, the voters in many General Assembly districts are solidly Democrat or Republican, Merrill noted. However, low voter turnout could prove problematic for incumbents, he said.

Some legislators face stiff opposition.

In Richland County, House Judiciary chairman Jim Harrison is being pushed in District 75. Republican Harrison said voters are talking about education, taxes and jobs, not D.C. scandals.

"I've been going door to door," Harrison said. "I haven't seen any impact."

His opponent, Democrat Boyd Summers, agreed but said the political climate favors a new face.

"There is an overall attitude of lookinge," he said. "It's a good time to be a challenger right now."

Among the most competitive S.C. House contests:

• District 119 in Charleston County, where Democratic County Councilman Leon Stavrinakis and Republican Suzanne Piper are vying to replace John Graham Altman, a Republican.

• District 29 in Cherokee, Chester and York counties, where Republican Danny Stacy and Democrat Dennis Carroll Moss are looking to fill a seat vacated by Democrat DeWitt McCraw.

• District 79 in Kershaw and Richland counties, a four-way race where Republican incumbent Bill Cotty faces Democrat Anton Gunn, Republican petition candidate Michael Letts and third-party candidate John Nelums.

• District 115 in Charleston County, where GOP incumbent Wallace Scarborough has been involved in two public disputes that could affect his race against Democrat Eugene Platt, who has faced criticism for writing explicit poetry.

Scarborough was charged with a misdemeanor for threatening two utility workers with a gun and then accidentally firing a shot. The charges have been dismissed.

Later, Scarborough's wife alleged in divorce filings that the Charleston Republican had an affair with Rep. Catherine Ceips of Beaufort, a claim Scarborough and Ceips have denied.

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