Another Democrat has openly expressed interest in next year’s race for governor:
Calling for Change, Mullins McLeod Announces Run for Governor
“We Deserve a Governor Who Focuses on Creating Jobs — For a Change,” says McLeod
In a letter to delegates to this weekend’s South Carolina Democratic Convention, Charleston attorney and successful small businessman Mullins McLeod announced his candidacy for Governor today. McLeod is originally from Walterboro, SC and is a graduate of Wofford College and The University of South Carolina School of Law.
In the letter, McLeod says that the state’s current political leaders have “proven themselves powerless in the face of record unemployment” and says that it is “abundantly clear that South Carolina needs a new direction.”
“The current crop of career politicians in Columbia have given us the second highest unemployment rate in the country and done little to help our public schools. We need a governor who will fight for jobs, and stand up for the people of South Carolina. That’s not going to happen if we turn to the usual crowd of politicians,” said McLeod.
McLeod added that, unlike some South Carolina Democrats, he will not back down from his Democratic Party label. “They continue to lose elections because they don’t stand up for our progressive values and fight back against Republican smears.”
“I’ve spent my entire career fighting for working families in this state. I believe that it’s time South Carolinians had a Governor who will fight for them, and a Governor who focuses on creating jobs — for a change.”
McLeod also encouraged delegates to visit his campaign’s web page at www.mullinsmcleod.com.
So with Vincent Sheheen, that makes two.
I don’t know much about Mr. McLeod, beyond the fact that he could hardly come up with a name that shouts “South Carolina” any louder (Maybe “Beaufort Ravenel?” How about, “Charleston Shealy?”), and I read his recent online op-ed piece.
Meanwhile, over on the GOP side, I see that The Greenville News has done a story about Furman prof Brent Nelson, about whom I wrote previously. I was a little confused, though, because the G’ville paper said “Nelsen hasn’t formally announced a campaign,” whereas I thought he had. But then, even after more than three decades of closely observing politics, I get confused over the whole “official announcement” thing.
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To veer only slightly off subject, aren’t City of Columbia municipal elections in almost exactly one year? In City elections does a plurality vote getter take office or is there a run-off?
On your first question: That’s right — remember, I did a column about one of the potential candidates. The city election is in April 2010.
I assume the state law regarding runoffs would hold true in this case as well as in any other election, but maybe there’s something different about the way cities are chartered. Anybody else know for sure?
Ask Erica Salley, the City Clerk.
Did Mr. McLeod attend public schools? Does he have children who attend public schools? Governor Sanford has made it abundantly clear that he has no interest in supporting public education in South Carolina, so I’m always interested in whether or not the candidates have a vested interest there.
The question arose as our municipal elections occur neither on the first Tuesday following the first Monday of November nor are candidates affiliated with political parties (though few of those who bother to vote are unable to identify the Ds from the Rs).
I know that there are runoffs at the primary level but is this true at the general election as well?
I’ll ask somebody, Greg.
Of course, in city elections there’s no primary.
Welcome, Maude. Any relation to the Big Lebowski?
FYI, I asked Mayor Bob, and there ARE runoffs when no one gets a majority in a Columbia municipal election.
I was pretty sure, but I knew he’d know beyond a doubt.
When I was at the paper, I didn’t really have to know anything like this. If it was a city or county matter, I’d ask Warren. If it was state, I’d ask Cindi. They would know this stuff, so I didn’t have to remember it. (Actually, I SORT of knew a little bit about everything, which was part of the job description, but it was nice to have someone to double-check with.)
Now, when I have a dumb question (or what people might consider to be a dumb question from ME, given all the years I’ve devoted to covering politics), I have to bother OTHER people who don’t actually work for me. Less convenient, but it keeps me interacting with the real world, so that’s a plus.
I was kind of hoping we’d have a contest for “most perfect name for a South Carolina politician.” I came up with “Beaufort Ravenel” and “Charleston Shealy” — neither of which is, I admit, quite as good as Mullins McLeod’s real name.
Any other entries out there?
thanks for the help!
One of my favorite real SC names is former Gov Whitemarsh Seabrook, just creates a landscape in and of itself.
Another wonderful actual name is Burnet Rhett Maybank, III. Any guess what town that old boy calls home?
“If South Carolina were a corporation, Sanford the CEO and the taxpayers were shareholders, he would be fired.”
No he wouldn’t. All of the buzz would have sky rocketed our stock price, he would have gotten a golden parachute and we would have cashed in on the inflated stock and moved to another state where the buying was cheap. He should have gone with a car analogy.
Boykin Pinckney — almost as good as Mullins McLeod, but not quite. Of course, there are names that shout South Carolina louder than any of these, although not in an especially good way. Bubba Floyd. Yellowhammer Finklea. Square Flowers.
Square Flowers!?! Who, pray tell, is this? Must be a cousin.
Yellowhammer Finklea though takes the cake.
If you have family in the Pee Dee, Greg, you might want to look him up. But don’t come down here with shoes on after May.
My family comes from Andrews so I am sure we are kin. My grandfather had the delightful monicker Adoniram Flowers.
Of course, we’re all cousins in one way or another, as I discovered with MY cousin TEC Dowling — that’s Thomas Edward Calhoun Dowling to you, speaking of great SC names. Tragically, we lost TEC this year at the young age of 61.
Speaking of Mullins McLeod, I just heard him and Vincent Sheheen and Harry Ott (who made a point of saying he was NOT a declared candidate) at a New Democrats forum over at the Inn at USC. I’ll post something about it later.
Even better, I got to say “hey” to his uncle Walt. Mayor Bob was also there, so I could have just waited and asked him Greg’s question in person, had I known.