Democrats' race for governor goes to voters

By JIM DAVENPORT
Associated Press Writer
Published June 13, 2006

The Democratic race for governor that started out a year ago with candidates taking aim at Gov. Mark Sanford is in the hands of voters Tuesday.

Clearwater state Sen. Tommy Moore, 56, entered the race last April at the state Democratic Party convention in Columbia. Florence Mayor Frank Willis, 64, was there, too, but he waited until June to announce his bid. Then, on March 30, just as filing closed, Columbia lawyer Dennis Aughtry, 60, entered the race.

Moore and Willis have spent more than a week with dueling television ads that became a major departure from the tame introductory messages they had been airing since late May. It's the image that many voters are carrying with them to polls Tuesday.

The cork flew out of that bottle during a debate June 4 debate, when Willis said he wouldn't engage in any negative campaign advertising. The campaign already had begun mailings that questioned whether voters needed "Moore of the same." The next day Willis began airing ads that criticized Moore and Sanford.

Moore responded with ads of his own criticizing the negative campaigning and his staff questioned the Florence mayor's record on job creation and crime fighting.

All three Democrats have been sharply critical of Sanford's support for plans to give tax credits to parents who send their children to private schools and the state's record on unemployment and economic growth.

Getting supporters to the polls could be key. The top-of-the-ticket race for governor is the only statewide contest Democratic voters will see on their ballots. With South Carolina's open primary, voters don't register by party and some have been encouraging Democrats to instead vote in Republican primaries.

For most of the year, Willis and Moore quietly worked around the state to build support among Democrats who would be key to turning out votes in Tuesday's elections.

Moore spent the campaign regarded as the favorite candidate. And that showed at this year's Democratic Party convention as the delegates cheered his march to the stage more loudly and persistently than they did Willis.

Moore picked up one of the race's most prized endorsements last fall as Charleston Mayor Joe Riley signed on as a supporter. Last month, Willis picked up the endorsement of Columbia Mayor Bob Coble, splitting endorsements from the chiefs of the state's two largest Democrat-leaning cities.

On the campaign trail, the styles of the candidates couldn't have been more different.

Moore was known for charging into crowds shaking hands and working a room. Aughtry and Willis were more apt to stand and greet people as the walked by.

Aughtry, who proudly says he has spent only $400 on the race, wants to bring casino gambling to South Carolina to eliminate property taxes, raise pay for teachers and police officers and increase funding for education and health care.