COLUMBIA, S.C. - State Sen. Tommy Moore told South Carolina Democrats on Saturday that he wants to take on Republican Gov. Mark Sanford in the 2006 gubernatorial race.

"I'm Tommy Moore and I am running for governor of South Carolina," Moore, 54, said minutes after supporters at the state Democratic Convention broke out blue and green signs and lapel stickers saying "Tommy Moore. Our governor."

Democrats have been waiting for their first candidate to step forward and take on Sanford, 44. They left Friday night's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, an annual party fund-raiser, talking about a new internal poll showing that Sanford is losing approval ratings and is vulnerable on employment and education.

"I think he'll do a wonderful job," Lexington Democrat Roy Fairchild said.

Moore "has the potential to be a very strong contender," Waring Howe, a Charleston Democrat said. "He is a lot more like mainstream South Carolina" than Sanford, Howe said.

The Clearwater legislator is known best as the Senate's deal broker.

"You name it, he's been there. He's been there on every major piece of legislation" for more than decade, Senate Minority Leader John Land, D-Manning, said. Land noted Moore's role, during the past few years alone, in shaping final bills dealing with video gambling, lawsuit limits, budgets and the Public Service Commission. He's been "the catalyst in bringing the House and the Senate together," Land said.

Moore told reporters later that he wants to unite the state. "We don't have the time or resources to continue dividing the state," Moore said.

Land says Moore will stand in sharp contrast to Sanford, known best for souring relationships with the Legislature by toting pigs to the door of the House's chambers to protest veto overrides and threatening a lawsuit. Land says Sanford has been ineffectual in pushing his agenda while Moore has helped put laws on the books.

Sanford "is the exact opposite of Tommy Moore," Land said.

Sanford and Moore have taken different approaches on key issues. For instance, two years ago, Moore pushed a plan during the state budget debate that would have increased the state's sales tax by 2 cents on the dollar and raised cigarette taxes. The combination would have eliminated income taxes for people with state taxable income of $15,000 or less and cut property taxes while putting more cash into Medicaid programs.

Sanford wants the state's top income tax rate cut as a way of helping small business owners and attracting wealthy retirees and executives. He says property tax reductions are lower priority because that tax is not directly controlled by the state.

Moore faces a formidable job in the months ahead. He launched his campaign with no cash Saturday and most expect he will have to raise and spend at least $6 million to be competitive against an incumbent governor in this Republican-dominated state. Sanford already has raised about half of that.

"I'm not worried about the campaign funds," Moore said.

Florence Mayor Frank Willis said he also is weighing a gubernatorial bid and was at the convention.

"Today's Tommy's day," Willis said. Willis said he has yet to form a committee to explore a bid.

Howe said it would be good to have multiple candidates enter the race. That would provide several voices, perhaps from different areas of the state, to criticize Sanford.

Sanford's campaign said it welcomes "new entries to the competition of ideas."

Moore took a couple of veiled swipes at Sanford, whose campaign included bumper stickers bearing his name and "Leadership" and who has irked the Legislature with a lawsuit threat and toting squirming pigs to the door of the House to complain about budget veto overrides.

"We need leadership, we don't need embarrassing public displays," he said. "Leadership is certainly much more than a slogan on a bumper sticker," he said.

Moore called on Democrats to "stand up for South Carolina. Stand up for your commitment to higher wage and lower unemployment."

Moore would give voters "a real choice between a conservative Republican like Mark Sanford, who wants to cut taxes, and a liberal Democrat like Tommy Moore, who wants to raise them," state GOP Chairman Katon Dawson said in a prepared statement.