I ran by the SC State Election Commission today to catch Thomas Ravenel delivering his petitions in a bid to get onto the ballot to run as an independent for Lindsey Graham’s U.S. Senate seat.

It was a bit of a muddle, based on what I saw and what I heard. I missed the first part of it (couldn’t get away from the office in time), but Jack Kuenzie from WIS filled me in on what I missed. As he said on Twitter:

Ravenel media event has been chaotic. First said he would take no questions. Then did. Then did not. Then did. #sctweets

— Jack Kuenzie (@JKuenzie) July 14, 2014

Jack also said Ravenel arrived, went into the election commission office, came out about 10 seconds later and then did it all again, saying something about it being a second take. Like it was a reality TV show, instead of actual reality.

In response to a question from Jack, T Rav said he had just been kidding about renouncing his citizenship.

When I arrived, everybody was filing into a room with several election commission workers sitting around while one official stood over the box of petitions that Ravenel had brought in. After we waited a few minutes, some of the gaggle headed back out of the room and I followed, and out the back door there was Ravenel holding forth again, this time on foreign relations (see the video above). Doug and Bud should love his notions of nonengagement.

Then, everyone started traipsing back into the room where the petitions were. I kept shooting video while walking through the corridor, in an homage to the scene in “This is Spinal Tap” when the band keeps winding around in the bowels of a concert hall, and never finds the stage. (Other journalists give you an organized, artificially logical account of what happened. I give it to you as it was. Naturalism. You can thank me later.)

Then, there was another uncertain period when Ravenel stood watching the election people doing official stuff with his petitions. Eventually, I got his press guy’s phone number and left. I might talk with Thomas tomorrow.

The commission has 30 days to determine whether Ravenel has enough valid signatures.

If you want a fuller account, here’s Jamie Self’s at thestate.com.

And for the campaign’s perspective, here’s their release:

RAVENEL FOR SENATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thomas Ravenel Files Petitions To Appear On November Ballot

COLUMBIA, SC – Lowcountry businessman, reality television star and former statewide official Thomas Ravenel submitted 16,469 signatures to the S.C. Election Commission (SCEC) today – more than enough to qualify him to appear on the November ballot against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and State Senator Brad Hutto.

 

Ravenel issued the following statement after submitting his signatures:

Today I filed signatures to appear on the November ballot and give South Carolinians a real choice – not a false choice between two increasingly indistinguishable bought-and-paid for political parties.

 

Working together over the last few weeks a team of volunteers and professionals collected more than 16,000 signatures from all 46 counties in the Palmetto State.

 

First I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to gather signatures.  And everyone who signed our petition. 

 

When it comes to their voice in the U.S. Senate, South Carolinians no longer have to make the false choice between the warfare state and the welfare state – between crony capitalists and bureaucratic apologists.

 

Before I filed these signatures, voters had to choose between a guy who wants to take most of their wallet and all of their liberties … and a guy who wants to take all of their wallet and most of their liberties.

 

Now they can vote for someone who will protect both – advancing prosperity and freedom for all no matter their age, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

 

Lindsey Graham doesn’t want you to have this choice.  In fact the special interests who bankroll his campaign and his pit bull political action committees are going to do everything within their power to maintain the status quo.

They. Are. Scared.

 

And not just of losing, they are scared that for the first time someone with an unafraid, uncompromising voice is stepping forward to call them out for what they are – thieves of your liberties and your livelihoods.

 

Unlike two-party Washington, my campaign will propose real reforms – true spending cuts, tax cuts and other market-based reforms aimed at redefining our relationship to government – asking not what government can do for us but what we can do for ourselves and – wherever possible – those in need.

 

I look forward to laying out those ideas in the weeks to come and engaging in a long overdue debate over the future direction of this country. 

Watching the process begin.

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