Some South Carolina Democrats are thinking about supporting an independent candidacy in the U.S. Senate race this year. This Politico story says some Democrats want to organize an independent petition for Linda Ketner, who was the Democratic nominee for U.S. House in 2008 in the First District. The seat has been Republican for almost 30 years, but Ketner polled 48% in 2008 as a Democrat. She is South Carolina’s only openly gay politician, at least at the level of federal and state elections.
South Carolina does not have registration by party. Any person who is not a sore loser may qualify to be an independent candidate. A statewide independent petition needs 10,000 signatures, due July 15.
The recent vote in the South Carolina House on whether to sustain the Governor’s veto of HB 3746 may have been influenced by last week’s surprise outcome in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. When the bill, which makes it more difficult for independent candidates to qualify for the ballot, passed the House on June 3, the vote was 70-26 in favor. If every House member had voted the same way when the Governor’s veto was up for a vote on June 16, the veto would have been overridden. The actual vote was 60 votes to override the veto, but 43 against. Vetoes cannot be overridden without a two-thirds vote of those present and voting. Fortunately, some legislators who voted for the bill on June 3, voted against the bill on June 16. Those who changed their votes from support for the bill, to opposition, include six Democrats and five Republicans.
Generally, when legislators change their vote after a veto, it is only members of the Governor’s party who change their vote from support for a bill, to opposition. That is because many members of the Governor’s own party don’t wish to embarrass their own party’s governor. It is unusual for members of the other major party to change their votes in that situation. Probably the six Democrats who voted for the bill the first time, but against it the second time, realize that the bill, if it had been in effect this year, would have hampered any possibility for Democrats to rally behind an independent candidacy this year. The bill had a provision that requires an independent to file a declaration of candidacy before the primary votes are counted. The bill would not have actually taken effect until 2011.
Ketner is very attractive, well-spoken, and she has a
lot of financial clout. She took Charleston county in her 2008 congressional bid, but lost in some of the more rural counties of the district. She probably cannot count on extraordinarily large numbers of African American and young voters, who came in 2008 to vote for Obama and also voted for her for the House. On the other hand, the 1st district is a red district, redder than SC at large (it is next-door to the 6th.,
Jim Clyburn’s, and, like the 6th., is heavily-gerrymandered, but for a different party result), and I doubt that African American voters are going to have any divided loyalties that might lead them toward poor Alvin Greene if there is a viable alternative to Diment (and Greene) on the ballot.
What about the Working Families Party? Didn’t the other Democrat running get their nomination? Can’t he just continue the campaign?
The Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, Tom Clements, as reported right here at BAN this week, is doing well in the polls.
Green Party candidate Clements is polling almost double digits at 9 per cent.
That’s excellent for any third party candidate. Clements is attractive, articulate. The Green Party candidate has worked in the community building alliances for decades. Well known and respected.
The Green Party’s Tom Clements is better than viable. He’s electable.