MB Sen. Rankin switches parties

COLUMBIA - Bowing to the pressure of a changing political climate, state Sen. Luke Rankin, D-Myrtle Beach, said Tuesday he will switch to the Republican Party.

He said he will file with the GOP on Friday to seek re-election to a fourth term.

Rankin, 41, broke the news to most of his constituents with a letter timed to arrive in their mailboxes Tuesday. He said he wanted them to hear it from him before they heard it on the news. Tuesday afternoon, he disclosed his intentions in the capital.

He cited three key reasons for his switch: Most of his constituents are Republicans, most of Horry County's legislative delegation is Republican, and the capital is controlled by the GOP.

Democrats lost their majority hold on the Senate four years ago, and the rules were changed to give committee appointment status by party first, then by seniority.

In his letter to constituents, he said that after considering these changes, "I am now certain that the needs of Horry County can be better served if I am a member of the majority party."

His switch will give the GOP, which also holds sway in the House and governor's mansion, a 27-19 majority in the Senate.

Rankin has been wrestling with party affiliation for more than four years, but especially since the turnover in the Senate after the 2000 elections.

"It's not been a recent epiphany," he said.

"It is really not about me as much as it is about the people in Horry County," Rankin said. "We benefit by being a member of the majority."

His switch was welcomed even in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, R-Hanahan, called to congratulate him.

"I think his voice will be heard in a larger vein by becoming a Republican," Brown said on the phone during a break from a budget meeting. "I think this is an opportunity to expand his agenda."

Major issues face Horry County, especially work on funding for Interstate 73 and a trade center in Myrtle Beach, both aimed at taking the area to a higher level of tourism, Brown said.

With most of Horry's delegation and the state's Washington delegation in the GOP, they can work on those projects more smoothly, Brown said.

Rankin's office mate in the Senate building, Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Kingstree, represents part of Horry County and said he was disappointed to see Rankin leave the party but understood why.

The GOP is "such an overwhelming majority" in Horry County that Rankin could probably be more effective for his constituents by switching affiliations and getting barriers of party line out of the way, McGill said.

"I know this: that Luke loves the citizens of Horry County; he loves Horry County," McGill said. He said he expects Rankin will continue to vote independently and not along party lines.

In his letter to constituents, Rankin said he has been an independent voice, not tied to Democratic Party orders, and he will still be an independent legislator for the people who live in "The Independent Republic," Horry County's nickname.

"We don't have our name by accident," Rankin said. "It's an apt description of us."

Rep. Tracy Edge, R-North Myrtle Beach, said he welcomes Rankin to the fold but hopes to see more commitment from him to the GOP.

"I hope he has made a switch because his true beliefs are more in line with the party platform and not just for greater opportunity," Edge said.

Rankin's change leaves Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach, as the only resident Democratic legislator. McGill and Rep. Jackie Hayes, D-Hamer, represent parts of Horry County.