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Posted on Sun, Dec. 18, 2005

Horry GOP preps for polls

Once-split party faces new elections

By Travis Tritten

The Sun News

The old adage "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" can be true in politics.

When political parties are down on their luck - membership is low or money is scarce - it's often easier to rally members to fight for the cause, said Neal Thigpen, professor of political science at Francis Marion University in Florence.

But what happens when a party is on top and has little opposition, such as the Horry County Republican Party?

"That's when the trouble starts. ... That's when they start fighting amongst themselves," Thigpen said.

Statewide, the Republican Party has swelled and come to dominate politics during the past three decades, and that's been true in Horry County, too. Then, nearly two years ago, the county GOP fell victim to its own success when infighting fractured the group into various political clubs.

The local party is now back on its feet with new leadership, new hope and a full slate of June primaries and November elections coming up. Horry County voters will elect a governor, a statehouse delegation, Horry County Council members and others in 2006 - and the GOP wants to stay on top.

It will be the first major challenge for the party since its election of Chairman Robert Rabon and Vice Chairwoman Cleo Steele on Dec. 5, which ended the Duane Oliver chairmanship and much of the party's internal division over supporting candidates, meetings rules and management.

"We have our work cut out for us for the next six months," said Steele, who is helping to write party bylaws and organize rallies.

Tom Herron, a Surfside Beach resident and political strategist who has worked on local Republican campaigns, said one danger is divisive June primaries, which could lead to party infighting.

In the primaries, Republicans compete against fellow Republicans for a spot on the November general election ballot. The races typically are competitive, but after nearly two years of division within the GOP, it's unclear whether that competition could spill into lasting or bitter rivalries, Herron said.

The party must balance campaigns for all state House seats, the governor's race, six County Council seats and city council races in Surfside Beach and Conway.

Fault lines already exist.

Many in the party use the term "real Republican" to separate those who are considered loyal to GOP ideals and the influx of party newcomers.

Opinions differ over whether Republicans should always support incumbent candidates or choose who the party believes is the best GOP candidate for the job, Herron said.

He said any lasting political animosity from the primaries is unlikely but it will be a top concern that the new chairman will keep the party unified and happy for November elections, especially because of a possible Democratic challenge to Gov. Mark Sanford.

Rabon said he will maintain party unity by staying neutral in the Republican primaries instead of throwing support behind a particular candidate.

County Councilman Marion Foxworth, one of the county's few Democratic politicians and a coordinator of various election campaigns, said party chairmen are influential even from the beginning of the year's campaigns.

"There is a lot of influence brought to bear from party leadership in the filing process," Foxworth said.

Because of the GOP domination, most of the election action of 2006 will be in the primaries, which is how it was when the Democrats were the majority party in the 1970s, Foxworth said.

He said the election of a new GOP chairman is a positive development for Horry County politics in general because it will bring more people into the political process.

The GOP's first show of unity will be a rally Jan. 5 at Horry-Georgetown Technical College that will include U.S. Rep. Henry Brown and other party VIPs, Rabon said.

"What I want to do is have a kick-off for the Republican Party to really show the voters out there and everyone that we are on the same page," he said.

The party also is working to craft new bylaws, which govern how meetings are called and how the GOP is managed.

The rules were put on the back burner during Oliver's chairmanship, and Rabon said passing bylaws will help keep the party together and running smoothly.

State Party Chairman Katon Dawson said the new leadership and unity in the Horry County Republican Party is refreshing but "It is not a given that we will win everything." The party must remain dedicated throughout the year, he said.

While Rabon is staying neutral and taking former President Ronald Reagan's approach in the primaries - never speak bad about another Republican - he is issuing a battle cry to his party.

"If the Republicans don't fight, the Democrats win," he said. "The charge is to keep what we got. We won't give that up without fight."

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