Soul of Legislature May Be Up For Grabs In June

Just over half of the 170 seats in the South Carolina General Assembly have only one candidate — all incumbents, except for one seat where a newcomer has no challenger at all.
At first blush, it might seem like business as usual for our legislative elections thanks to past gerrymandering of districts that protected parties, favored incumbents and tamped down opposition to help the status quo. But a closer analysis shows something else is going on — a battle for the soul of the legislature in the state Senate.
Of the 46 seats in the Senate, 17 senators are running unopposed — 10 Republicans and seven Democrats, including some who you might think opposing parties would scramble to find challengers. Examples include Democratic Sens. Vincent Sheheen and Brad Hutto who are continuing thorns in the sides of the GOP and its governor, Nikki Haley. On the Republican side, high-profile senators like Danny Verdin, Chip Campsen and Tom Davis got byes. You would think somebody might run against them, but with safe seats, those who could must figure, “Why?”
Meanwhile, a baker’s dozen of Republican senators face primary opposition, sometimes from more than one candidate. At the top of the list is President Pro Tem Hugh Leatherman of Florence, who has two challengers, including a county party chair. Also with challengers are moderates who sometimes conflict with the hard right William Wallace caucus in the Senate — Judiciary Chair Larry Martin of Pickens, Banking and Insurance Chair Wes Hayes of Rock Hill, Ethics Chair Luke Rankin of Conway and veteran Paul Campbell of Goose Creek.
But wait, it’s not only the moderates, who believe they’ve been targeted by right-wingers and who are facing challenges. So do some of the more conservative members of the Senate, including Kevin Bryant of Anderson, Mike Fair of Greenville and Lee Bright of Roebuck, who has drawn three primary opponents including former state Rep. Scott Talley.
There also are some Democratic Senate squabbles, such as the Charleston rematch between former Sen. Robert Ford who was unseated after ethics problems by incumbent Sen. Marlon Kimpson, seen as a rising star. In Greenville, Sen. Karl Allen will again face Greenville City Council member Lillian Brock Flemming in the Democratic primary; the winner will face a Republican challenger.
More traditional challenges of Senate incumbents also exist. In November, voters will be able to decide whether a long-time Democratic Minority Leader Nikki Setzler of Lexington or senior Republican like John Courson of Columbia will return.
Yes, something serious is going on — a battle for the heart of the state Senate. The June 14 primary should clarify which side will prevail — unless the incumbency advantage (money, media exposure, more) trumps the philosophical battle fueled by dark money and angst. In the Year of Voter Anger, it’s tough to predict.
In the House, don’t look for as much change, especially as 26 Democratic incumbents and 43 GOP current office-holders face no opposition. Fourteen incumbents — about split evenly between the two parties — face only primary opposition. Nineteen incumbents of 124 members have general election opposition only.
Perhaps the most interesting House races will be for the 13 open seats. Six Democrats are vying for longtime Rep. Grady Brown’s Bishopville seat. The primary winner has no GOP challenger. Three Democrats, one Republican and one Libertarian want the Columbia House seat held by Mia McLeod, who is running for Sen. Joel Lourie’s open seat.  Republicans are likely to pick up the Charleston seat held by Democratic Rep. Mary Tinkler, who is running for a county office. (That seat was held by disgraced House Speaker Bobby Harrell.)
Three open Republican House seats to watch include those held by veterans Kenny Bingham of Lexington, Jenny Horne of Summerville (who is running for Congress) and Chip Limehouse of Charleston. Each will feature primary and general contests.
More than usual, this year’s field of legislative candidates offers more choices in districts throughout the state. Despite the advantages of incumbency, it’s healthy for voters in a democracy to have more than the same old candidates.  The unhealthy exception? The open Georgetown House seat where a brand new candidate has no opposition at all. That’s just plain sad.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report. He can be reached at: brack@statehousereport.com.