This just goes to show you: You just never know what’s going to happen in an election. Anti-establishment fever? Who knows? What an intriguing story:
COLUMBIA, S.C. — An unemployed military veteran who raised no funds and put up no campaign website shocked South Carolina’s Democratic Party leadership by capturing the nomination Tuesday to face Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint in November.
With nearly all precincts reporting, Alvin Greene, 32, commanded 59 percent of the vote against 41 percent for former four-term state lawmaker Vic Rawl, 64, who had raised about $186,000 and had to abruptly scrap a late-week fundraiser for the fall.
State Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler said voters unfamiliar with either candidate may have voted alphabetically for Greene over Rawl.
“As far as I know, he never showed up at anything. Vic Rawl has been campaigning everywhere from the time he filed,” she said.
Rawl said he was disappointed.
“I would’ve liked very much to be a candidate against Jim DeMint,” Rawl said, describing his sole primary rival as something of a mystery. “I never saw him. I’ve still never met him.”
As for Greene, he couldn’t explain it either but thanked voters in a state numb with high unemployment and said: “Let’s continue to make history and get South Carolina back to work.”
Greene said he spent a total of 13 years in the Air Force and Army before leaving the Army in August.
Late Tuesday, stunned Democratic leaders in South Carolina struggled to comprehend how the little-seen candidate upstaged Rawl, a moderate Southern Democrat they viewed as their far stronger bet against DeMint. Rawl’s lengthy resume lists four past state House terms and former posts as prosecutor, circuit court judge and more.
i think it’s hilarious, and almost makes up for Stinkin’ Lincoln.
Green’s black, and like it or not identity politics still matters.
SC has open elections which has allowed Republicans to game the system and they have openly done this in the past. Registered Republicans can vote in the Democratic primary for the worst Democratic candidate thereby ensuring a much better chance for their candidate in the election. How many people do you know vote “alphabetically”? How many do you know who go to the polls but can’t manage to pick the correct candidate? California has just passed a proposition that will allow this type of open primary voting as well so brace yourselves for plenty of primaries on the west coast with skewed results. Also expect more shocked, stunned elections analysts “struggling to comprehend” what they should already know.
Tom Hartman was all over this today.
Does South Carolina use the touch screen voting?
Montag, GOT THAT RIGHT!