(Published June 13‚ 2004)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint's campaign is airing what his opponent calls a negative ad in the runoff for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.

Former Gov. David Beasley's campaign said DeMint had agreed to run a positive campaign. "If we can't trust Jim DeMint to keep his word about his own campaign, we have to be concerned about whether Jim DeMint would do what he's promised to do in the Senate," said Carroll Campbell III, Beasley's campaign chairman.

The ad shows two older men discussing Beasley's stand on the Confederate flag that flies on Statehouse grounds.

When Beasley was first elected governor, the flag flew atop the Capitol dome, and he said he opposed an effort to move the flag. A couple years later, he proposed moving it. Some have said the change of position hurt him in his re-election bid, which he lost to Democrat Jim Hodges.

In DeMint's ad, one man says "I don't get this Beasley fella. He was against moving the flag; he's for moving the flag. He was against the lottery vote, then he was for the lottery vote. Classic flip-flopper."

The other man in the ad disagrees and says, "Sounds more wishy-washy to me." And the two of them go back and forth.

Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen said the ad was just a little negative. "You've only got less than two weeks, you're going to go a little negative. But it's mild negative," Thigpen said.

DeMint spokesman Terry Sullivan said the ad is "lighthearted" but necessary. "It's not enough to take a position; you have to stick with it," Sullivan said.

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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com