Greenville advertising executive Joe Erwin wears two big hats as the state's top Democrat: He's the party chairman and its biggest bankroller.

From May 27, 2005, to Jan. 20, 2006, Erwin gave $61,980 to the state party's operating fund and another $1,000 to its campaign fund, according to state Ethics Commission reports. The gifts ranged from $130 to $10,000.

Donations to those funds of both parties became public records after Jan. 1, 2005. Erwin said he gave $10,000 in 2003-04.

Erwin said most of his money was earmarked for improvements to the party's office and communications technology.

Advertisement

"I was proud and have been proud to give to that, and now it's a reality," he told The Greenville News on Tuesday. "It's a world of difference from where we were two years ago."

Greenville's Roger Owens, president of the local Save Our Sons program, said Erwin's financial support underscores his commitment to the party.

"A lot of people are willing to contribute their ideas, but he's willing to contribute his ideas, his time and his money, and to me that reflects well that he's willing to do all those things," Owens said.

Since May 2002, Erwin has given the state party's various accounts more than $103,000, according to public records. Erwin cited another $20,000 to accounts that were not public record at the time.

Katon Dawson, chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, said, "If you were going to self-fund a political party, you might want to invest in some candidates and a vision before buying the new copier."

The Mount Pleasant law firm of Richardson Patrick Westbrook and Brickman was second in operating account donations, at $26,000.

Erwin, who was elected chairman in May 2003, kicked in another $29,500 to the party's federal campaign account from April 23, 2004, to last March 31. Also, he gave the same account $11,000 in 2003-04 before becoming chairman, Federal Election Commission reports showed.

His contributions to the operating account -- it pays for staff salaries, rent, computers, supplies and utilities -- accounted for 18 percent of the $349,193 that passed through it during the 15-month period. There are no donation limits for the operating account, although those to the state campaign account are restricted to $3,500.

"That gives a hollow ring to claims of revived grassroots interests," said Blease Graham, a University of South Carolina political science professor specializing in Southern and South Carolina politics.

Erwin said he didn't make the donations to keep the often financially strapped party afloat but carefully targeted them for modernization to make its headquarters operation more competitive with the dominant Republican Party.

"Most of my contributions have been focused on improving specific areas of the party's infrastructure. That area is going to outlast my time as chairman," Erwin said, citing the headquarters building and computer system in particular.

"You don't want to take away that money from candidates and causes.

"To be competitive, we had to make major upgrades in technology and communications," he said, which included moving from a stately but past-its-prime Victorian house in downtown Columbia to a more modern office facility.

The squirrel that leaped from its perch in a ceiling hole onto his desk his first day as chairman was a big impetus, Erwin said.

Erwin said that in part his substantial donations as chairman and the party's relative weakness compared to the GOP "is a point to be made, but I've been giving money to the party and its candidates for years, and that wasn't going to stop when I became chairman."

That giving is part of what Erwin said was a responsibility he felt, especially during a time when the party raised more than $770,000 to finance its 2004 presidential primary and pay off a lingering debt.

"A big part of what the chairman does is call time, just like candidates do, when you ask others to give, and I just think that if you're going to do that kind of asking that you'd better be the first one to step up," Erwin said.

Erwin said he gave $10,000 to the primary fund but didn't personally pay off the debt.

Compared to the state GOP, South Carolina's Democratic Party has struggled financially, even with Erwin's largesse.

Federal Election Commission reports showed that as of March 31, Democrats had $6,674 in available cash compared to $265,942 for Republicans. The figures cover the parties' federal accounts whose receipts must be used for various forms of advertising for federal candidates. By contrast, the state's Libertarian party, which usually attracts little more than 1 percent of the votes, reported a cash balance of $4,639.

The state GOP showed significant cash advantages over the Democratic Party in its operating and state campaign accounts, according to Ethics Commission reports.