The Republican candidate said he thinks the governor and lieutenant governor should be elected on the same ticket, just as the president and vice president are, and that the lieutenant governor should focus on economic development.

South Carolina is among 18 states nationwide where the governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately, according to the National Lieutenant Governors Association.

Changing that tops Campbell's six-point plan, to be released Wednesday, for creating jobs across the state.

"The Lt. Gov. is a waste of taxpayers' money," Campbell wrote in his 25-page campaign platform, titled "Working for Tomorrow."

"Currently, the Lt. Gov. is a part-time official with part-time results, serving as little more than a ceremonial gavel banger," it reads. "My proposal is simple - abolish the Lt. Gov.'s position in its current form."

Campbell, the 37-year-old son of two-term Republican Gov. Carroll Campbell, will face incumbent Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in the June GOP primary.

The constitutional duties of the lieutenant governor include presiding over the state Senate and waiting in the wings to replace a dead or incapacitated governor. In 2004, the General Assembly added the Office of Aging to the lieutenant governor's responsibilities.

The position, considered part time, pays $46,545 annually.

But Bauer's chief of staff, Mike Easterday, called the lieutenant governor's position "anything but part-time."

"He is on the road almost every day, year-round, doing senior-related activities," Easterday said. Bauer was so busy Tuesday, Easterday said, he did not have time to review Campbell's plan and comment on it.

Robert Barber, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Campbell said his campaign boils down to three words: "Jobs, jobs, jobs."

South Carolina has one of the nation's highest unemployment rates. A report released last week by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. ranked the Palmetto State's job growth 50th in the nation during the second quarter. In July, Standard & Poor downgraded the state's AAA credit rating by one notch to AA-plus, citing poor job and economic growth.

Putting people into jobs will help fix the state's other ills, Campbell said. A strong tax base will help adequately fund schools to improve student performance and the overall quality of life in rural areas, he said.

He also thinks it's important to conserve the state's natural resources, which he says are a tool to recruit new industry.