Beasley, DeMint agree to Sunday TV debate

GOP U.S. Senate candidates David Beasley and Jim DeMint will appear in a televised debate Sunday -- two days before the June 22 runoff.

The two will face each other inside the studios of ABC affiliate WPDE-TV in Conway beginning at 7 p.m. The one-hour debate will be broadcast live in the Myrtle Beach/Florence market.

Beasley is the state's former governor. He finished first in the June 8 primary with 37 percent of the vote. DeMint, a U.S. congressman from Greenville, came in second with 27 percent.

Letter becomes issue in District 43 runoff

A mysterious letter mailed before the June 8 primary is setting off sparks in the state Senate District 43 runoff between John Kuhn and rival Chip Campsen.

At a press conference Tuesday, Campsen held up a copy of a letter signed by former North Charleston lawmaker Mickey Whatley alleging Campsen pursued matters in his own self-interest when he served in the state House. Campsen denied the charge.

A bigger issue is who is responsible for the mailing. The letter was stamped from a company operated by Kuhn's campaign consultant. It was delivered to voters right before the June 8 vote.

Kuhn said Tuesday he was unaware of the letter's origin. "Did (my) campaign pay for it? I don't know. I pay (consultant) Rod Shealy. We may have. I know Rod had a hand in it," he said. Kuhn said he saw nothing wrong in the note's content.

Campsen finished first with 42 percent. Kuhn, the incumbent, came in second with 36 percent.

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