AIKEN - State senators Tommy Moore and Greg Ryberg are viewed as two of Aiken County's most powerful men, and they're seeking even more clout with campaigns for statewide office.

But even if Mr. Moore wins his bid for governor and Mr. Ryberg takes the state's treasury seat, the two men aren't likely to form the sort of regional ring of influence South Carolina has seen in the past.

They're natural political enemies - Mr. Moore is a Democrat and Mr. Ryberg is a Republican - but their differences run deeper than party affiliation. The power brokers have clashed repeatedly in the past decade and aren't stopping now.

Each man or his allies have donated money to the other's opponent, records show.

Mr. Ryberg donated $500 in October to the re-election campaign of GOP Gov. Mark Sanford, who Mr. Moore is likely to face in the general election if he emerges from his own June 13 primary. The governor, in turn, has endorsed Mr. Ryberg.

Mr. Moore, meanwhile, hasn't directly supported a Ryberg opponent, but one of his biggest allies has.

Aiken County businessman Weldon Wyatt held a fundraising event March 27 at his Sage Valley Hunt Lodge in Graniteville to raise money for Mr. Ryberg's Republican foe Rick Quinn, a contribution worth $2,877, records show.

Mr. Wyatt, who has given generously to the Moore campaign, directly donated another $2,500 to Mr. Ryberg's opponent.

Mr. Wyatt's support for Mr. Quinn, a former member of the Legislature from Columbia, comes as little surprise to some.

Last year, he and his colleagues with FineDeering Development Group asked the Aiken County Council to issue $36 million in bonds to supply infrastructure for 5,000 homes they're building.

The bond deal was possible because of rural development legislation that Mr. Moore supported and that Mr. Ryberg is trying to repeal.

It was the most recent and notable clash between the two senators.

But Mr. Wyatt said it had nothing to do with his support of Mr. Ryberg's opponent.

"I'm not going down that path," he said. "I like Greg all right. Greg's Greg and Tommy's Tommy."

Different interests

Mr. Ryberg says it's not a matter of personal dislike between himself and Mr. Moore.

"Tommy and I, I believe, are both passionate about our beliefs," the senator said. "I feel extremely passionate about certain issues and about how government should or shouldn't impact people. If my beliefs are strong enough, I will stand for them. On certain issues, you have to stand out."

Mr. Moore was unavailable to comment on his campaign or his relationship with Mr. Ryberg, his spokeswoman, Karen Gutman, said.

"He wouldn't have any comment on that," she said.

Should Mr. Moore and Mr. Ryberg win their desired positions, it will bolster their political standing and give Aiken County something to brag about.

But political experts say the days of regional dominance at the Statehouse are a thing of the past. Cliques like the Barnwell Ring of the 1940s, when the governor and powerful leaders in the state Senate and House were from the rural county and looked out for its interests, just aren't feasible because of population shifts to metropolitan areas.

Even now, with the governor, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell and House Speaker Bobby Harrell all hailing from Charleston and all Republicans, there's little proof that it's tipped power to the Low Country.

It's not clear how much Mr. Moore and Mr. Ryberg would work together if both held statewide office, given their history.

"You don't see them at a lot of functions together," said state Rep. Robert "Skipper" Perry, R-Aiken. "In all honesty, they have different interests."

The senators also have contrasting backgrounds.

Mr. Moore, 55, was born and raised in Aiken County - more specifically in "the Valley," a term locals use to describe the string of former mill towns between the cities of Aiken and Augusta.

He graduated from University of South Carolina Aiken and runs a boilermaker business near his home in Clearwater. His supporters are quick to point out that he's "from here."

Mr. Ryberg moved to Aiken in 1977 from Wisconsin. The Marquette University graduate built an empire of gas stations across the state and apparently did well.

He sank $2 million of his own money into his treasury campaign when wealthy Charleston businessman Thomas Ravenel jumped into the race.

Strong wills

But there's even more that separates the two men, colleagues say.

Since his start in the Senate in 1981, Mr. Moore has built a reputation as a consensus builder who works with Republicans and Democrats to pass important legislation.

Some Senate members described Mr. Ryberg, on the other hand, as a maverick.

"Tommy Moore is totally even tempered," said Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston. "Ryberg is totally the opposite."

Mr. Ryberg's supporters say his occasionally outspoken posture has less to do with grandstanding and more to do with bucking the "good old boy" system in Columbia.

Mr. Ryberg once disputed a magistrate judge appointment with Mr. Moore and Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia, who represents a sliver of Aiken County.

The dispute went on for a year before the issue was resolved.

"They're both very strong-willed people," said Pat Cunning, a Republican ally of Mr. Ryberg and a former Aiken City Council member.

Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.

State Sens. Tommy Moore, left, and Greg Ryberg, both of Aiken County, have clashed often over the past decade.