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Date Published: March 13, 2004
Leventis plans to defend Senate seat
By BRADEN BUNCH
Item Staff Writer
bradenb@theitem.com
State Sen. Phil Leventis ended speculation about his candidacy for re-election on Friday by announcing that he will seek a seventh term as the District 35 senator.
Leventis, a Democrat who has served for the past 24 years in the Senate, said he had seriously considered not running again, but eventually decided in favor of another campaign.
“I thought about it a lot. I talked about it with a lot of folks, Republicans and Democrats, and they said they appreciate what I’ve done,” Leventis said.
Rumors of Leventis not seeking re-election had lingered for some time, and were spurred on by an emotional speech the senator made at the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce retreat in January that some have said sounded like a farewell speech.
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On Friday, Leventis who said he has been informed he has served longer in the Legislature than any other Sumter County resident said he simply needed to make sure both he and his family could make the commitment to another term.
“I know just what it takes,” Leventis said. “I needed to be sure my family and I were willing and committed.”
Filing for partisan candidates in all 2004 races opens Tuesday and continues for two weeks.
So far, the only other person to announce plans to run for the seat is Republican candidate Dickie Jones, who first announced his intentions in 2002, while Leventis was running for lieutenant governor.
Leventis was quick to rebut some of the comments Jones has made on the campaign trail.
Last month, Jones said Sumter County needs to elect a Republican to the seat so the community can have a stronger voice at the Statehouse, adding the local area has lost the power it once had because it is no longer represented by the majority party.
Leventis said Jones might be making a mistake by selling himself as a Republican, and not as himself.
“I find it regrettable that the primary difference my opponent feels between myself and himself is this partisan thing,” Leventis said, adding that Jones’ view simply isn’t the correct one.
“We need somebody who is Sumter’s representative to Columbia, not somebody who’s Columbia’s or the Republicans’ representative to Sumter,” Leventis said, adding “Or the Democrats’ representative to Sumter.”
Leventis said the representatives from Sumter have best served the community by working in a nonpartisan manner, citing state Rep. David Weeks, D-Sumter, and Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, as two legislators who have served the area well.
During the upcoming campaign, Leventis said education would be one of the primary issues facing the voters, and that the Republican proposal of vouchers as a primary solution to the state’s education problems does not work.
“Great results will only be achieved if we give educators the resources they need to do the job we ask,” Leventis said.
His recent efforts on the USC Sumter issue show his commitment to all levels of education, Leventis said.
“Because of tremendous effort and teamwork, USC is now closer than it has ever been towards making this (four-year status) a reality,” Leventis said. “If re-elected, I would like to continue the momentum and teamwork that has gotten USC where it is and concentrate on attracting new industry and retaining existing industry by continuing the coordinated effort that has been successful for all of us.”
Contact Staff Writer Braden Bunch at bradenb@theitem.com or 803-774-1222.
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April 12, 2004
