Parties gear up for June 10 vote

Primaries will settle solicitor, Dorchester sheriff races

South Carolina Republicans and Democrats will go to the polls in eight days to pick their candidates for the general election this fall, and these June 10 primaries also will decide several contests outright.

Two of the Lowcountry's hottest races — the Republican primaries for 9th Circuit solicitor and Dorchester County sheriff — are the voters' only real chance to have a say. No Democrat filed to run for either the solicitor's or the sheriff's job.

Statewide, the only primary races are for the U.S. Senate seat held by Lindsey Graham. Graham will face a Republican primary challenge from Lexington orthodontist Buddy Witherspoon. On the Democratic side, two political newcomers, Michael Cone of Mount Pleasant and Bob Conley of North Myrtle Beach, are squaring off.

But Lowcountry voters also will choose candidates for the 1st Congressional District seat and for about three dozen state legislative and congressional races, county council seats and countywide posts.

Here are four questions that will be answered when the last votes are tallied:

Who will be the new faces?

Several local contests involve filling the seats of retiring state lawmakers, and the winner of the primary — or the June 24 primary runoff, if necessary — will win.

In District 111, Rep. Floyd Breeland is stepping down, and three Democrats

are vying to replace him, including Charleston City Councilman Wendell Gilliard, Iraq war veteran Clay Middleton and former City Councilman Maurice Washington.

The District 112 seat of Ben Hagood, R-Sullivan's Island, also will be open with Hagood not seeking re-election. The district covers Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island and the Isle of Palms, and the race features a match between Mount Pleasant Town Councilman Joe Bustos and Isle of Palms Mayor Mike Sottile.

Another new face will be elected to the District 117 House seat. Rep. Tom Dantzler, R-Goose Creek, is retiring from the district, which covers Berkeley and Charleston counties.

Berkeley County Councilman Bill Crosby, former state Rep. Wheeler Tillman and Charleston County Council Chairman Tim Scott all are seeking the seat. If Scott were to win, he could make history as the first black Republican to serve in the Statehouse since Reconstruction, though that fact has not been central in the campaign.

Statewide, there are four other Republicans seeking a state House or Senate seat.

How many will turn out?

Traditionally, primaries have a far lighter turnout, even though they're sometimes the only chance voters have to decide who will be elected.

For instance, only about 29,700 Charleston County voters cast ballots in either the 2004 Republican or Democratic primaries, while 136,316 voted in the general election that fall. Almost five times as many Berkeley County residents voted in November 2004 than in that year's primaries.

No one is expecting significantly higher turnouts this year, with estimates ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent.

The light turnout not only is driven by the start of summer but also because some voters don't want to identify themselves with a particular party, said College of Charleston political science professor Bill Moore.

"Generally, the turnout is quite low, especially in a June primary," he said. "It's the party activists who vote in primaries for the most part."

But the overall turnout will be just one part of the story. Democrats, who had more people vote in their presidential primary in January, will see if they can build on that momentum.

"I'm enthusiastic about where we're headed," Charleston County Democratic chairman George Tempel said. "I expect an enthusiastic turnout, and I expect that to spill over into the elections in November."

Still, there are relatively few Democratic primaries, particularly in Berkeley and Dorchester counties.

Dorchester County GOP Chairman Arthur Bryngelson said he expects a heavy Democratic vote in the Republican June 10 primary simply because people want a say in the sheriff's race.

"If you're a citizen, forget if you are a Republican or Democrat or black or white, the only voice that's going to be heard in a lot of races is in the June 10 Republican primary," he said.

Dorchester County Democratic Chair Steve Yeomans said 1st Congressional District hopeful Linda Ketner has been the only Democrat actively campaigning there.

Statewide, the Democratic Party also is showing new signs of life, with 34 Statehouse primary races this year, although only three of them - for House Districts 111 and 115 and Senate District 45 — are in the Lowcountry. Still, no one expects the Democrats to come close to erasing the GOP majorities in the House and Senate.

Will there be any upsets?

Most incumbents are expected to hold onto their seats, but some races have grown tight, particularly the state Senate District 38 race in Dorchester and Charleston counties.

Incumbent Randy Scott was arrested April 19 and charged with driving under the influence. A magistrate dismissed the case last week, but prosecutors plan to appeal.

Scott, a critic of Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash, has said the charge was politically motivated, but his Republican challenger, Mike Rose, has focused as much on phone recordings of Scott in jail, saying they show he was abusing his power as a senator trying to get magistrates to do his bidding.

Scott isn't the only local state senator facing a challenge.

Charleston lawyer Dwayne Green is running against four-term incumbent Sen. Robert Ford in the Democratic District 42 primary.

Green supported Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama, who was hugely popular within the Senate district, while Ford was one of Sen. Hillary Clinton's biggest supporters. Green initially held a wide fundraising lead, though Ford has closed the gap in recent weeks.

Charleston County GOP Chairwoman Lin Bennett said incumbents generally look good, but there are no guarantees.

"This year, Republicans have been real upset with Republicans. I've heard some comments like, 'I'm just not voting for the incumbent,' but I don't know if that's so much on a local level like it is on the national level."

How will female candidates fare?

Less than 10 percent of South Carolina's state lawmakers are women, and there are no women in its congressional delegation.

While gender hasn't played a prominent role in any of the upcoming contests, some will watch what kind of success female candidates have this time.

Bennett said it's wonderful that there are women running for solicitor and coroner, but Republican voters won't be thinking much about gender.

"We're more interested in where you stand on the issues and whether you support Republican values and principles," she said. "Now if the candidates are equal, I hope voters go for the women."

Charleston County Democratic Chair George Tempel said he must remain neutral in his party's primaries but added, "Certainly in the abstract, I'd love to see the problem addressed. There are too few women representing us."

Moore said while several women candidates are running on June 10, it will be difficult to conclude if their gender helped or hurt them at the polls. "I think gender is not really an issue out there," he added.

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postand couirer.com.