Democratic candidate for governor Vincent Sheheen was the clear winner in the primary with 59 percent of the vote. The Kershaw senator says he will keep his message the same for the general election as it was for the primary.

The only way we’ll be successful in South Carolina is if we all pull together, work together and begin to deal with these very substantive issues like job creation and public education, instead of being distracted from so much that we’ve been distracted by the last decade, which is mostly fighting and being divided and a lot of squabbles about things that don’t much matter.

Sheheen says his experience in the legislature is the key to future success as governor and he feels that that’s one of the attributes he can bring to the office.

I’ve been in the legislature long enough to know how it works, long enough to understand the problems and the challenges, but not long enough to give up hope on what we can accomplish for South Carolina as leaders. And if you look at the governors who have been successful, whether it’s Dick Riley or Carroll Campbell or Fritz Hollings, they had that understanding, that experience .

Sheheen says he watched the primary election unfold, and says he purposely stayed out of the mudslinging he has seen from the Republican party.

Well, unfortunately really much of what’s going on, especially in the Republican campaign, has been a continuation of what we have seen as a leadership style in South Carolina, unfortunately in the last ten years. And that style has been one that’s been very combative, one that’s very personally attacking, one that, instead of trying to unite people in the state has been to divide folks for political advantage. And the whole reason I’m running for governor is to try to change that approach, and I believe we can.

Sheheen says his campaign has purposely been about substantive ideas.

And it will continue to be purposely about bringing South Carolinians together. I call it a ‘one South Carolina campaign.’ And whether I’m in Oconee, or I’m in Orangeburg, or whether I’m in Richland or Kershaw or Charleston, the message is the same, which is, if any part of South Carolina has fallen behind, then it’s at the disadvantage of the entire state.

 

Bauer announces endorsement of Gresham Barrett(headline with statement)

Lt. Governor Andre Bauer has announced his endorsement of Gresham Barrett, who faces an uphill climb against tea party darling Nikki Haley in the June 22nd GOP gubernatorial runoff.

Bauer said:

“I ran for Governor because I wanted to chart a new way forward for South Carolina. For too long, Columbia has been all talk and no action. The house blames the senate, the senate blames the governor and the governor blames the media. Well, its time to stop the finger pointing and start acting on real conservative reform. Though my election is over, my goals remain the same and there is only one candidate I can trust who has the character and judgment to accomplish these goals: Gresham Barrett.”

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