Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-Orangeburg) speaks at the People’s Stimulus Rally April 1 at the State House.
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It’s been seven long years since a movement to draft Gilda Cobb-Hunter to run for governor ran into a roadblock: the prospective candidate herself. “South Carolina isn’t ready for a black woman to be governor,” she said. She declined to enter the race against Jim Hodges, and Mark Sanford was elected governor.
The buzz among friends who know her best is that she is open to reconsidering a run for governor or, perhaps, taking on Sen. Jim DeMint for his US Senate seat.
A lot has changed in seven years, not the least of which is that we have a black man in the White House. White men — from president, to governor to the legislature — have proven their inability to meaningfully address the problems facing our state and nation; it may well be time for Gilda to reconsider her earlier hesitancy.
The Democratic Party is fielding some nice guys to contend for its nomination for governor. Sen. Vince Sheheen of Camden, Rep. Harry Ott of Calhoun County, and Mullins McLeod of Charleston are names being mentioned. But they don’t resonate with the demand for substantive change that could inspire new South Carolina voters. We can’t expect their candidacies to be far removed from the traditional Democratic strategy of playing to the right of center to pick off a couple of percentage points from the Republican vote. This is the “Republican Lite” strategy that has failed for the past 30 years.
But what if a bold candidate spoke to the 43 percent of South Carolinians who did not vote in the last election?
To put it in perspective, McCain got 1,034,896 votes in South Carolina’s last general election; Obama got 862,449. That adds up to 1,897,345 South Carolinians who voted. Sitting it out were 1,472,048 of the voting-age population (24 percent of them registered voters) who didn’t vote. That’s an untapped market of 43 percent of folks in this state who could vote but chose not to.
We only need to mobilize 12 percent of the people who don’t vote to turn the state blue. Of all the Democratic candidates mentioned, Gilda has the magic to make this happen. She is the one person in the legislature who be counted on to vote in the interest of working people, minorities and the disenfranchised. Her candidacy for governor or US Senate would inject a level of enthusiasm into the race — helping all Democratic candidates — that nobody else could provide.
What do you think? Email scprogressivecaucus@earthlink.com to voice your opinion. Should Gilda run for governor, US Senate, or stay in the State House?
Sign spotted at a rally a few years ago suggests how loved Gilda is among her constituents.
I’d better support Gilda for Senate! But I’ll support whatever she decides to do. Gilda IS the greatest!
I’m 100 percent behind the idea of Gov. Cobb-Hunter. Gilda is one of the few elected officials in SC that makes me proud to be from here. An amazing woman and leader that i would be more than happy to call my Governor.
GO FOR IT GILDA!!!
I hope she runs! It would be so wonderful to actually get to vote for a candidate in this state who I actually like and whose positions I support rather than just choosing the lesser of two evils. She’s got my support!
Gilda would make an outstanding Gov. Black News would support her 100% as would most South Carolinians who have not been represented.
Run Gilda Run!
This would send out political and financial shockwaves, run!
YES!!! I will support Gilda 100% for Governor or whatever she decides to do!
Voting for someone who knows Columbia through and through is what’s needed. Raising money now is how it is done.
If a few hundred of us could raise a few hundred each, six figure “draft Hilda” committees can be more effective than fighting off school voucher and dirty words overtures from Bob Ford.
Finding at least one person in all 46 counties to write a check is how it starts, building up the partisans who care for a real candidate for real change from corrupt good old boys to real change in SC, is a vision that works. In living memory, we can repudiate and replace any vestige of those who kept Orangeburg shooters from justice.
Votes & dollars & hope are better than bullets & exploiters & lies.
Keep your eyes on the prize.
An honest politician, not Rethuglican lite “strategies.”
2008
TABLE 1: Top 20 Contributors Contributor Total % of Total Sector
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS OF SOUTH CAROLINA $1,000 2.44% Party
SOUTH CAROLINA TRUCKING ASSOC $1,000 2.44% Transportation
SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES/ECHO $1,000 2.44% Energy & Natural Resources
SUPER-SOD CAROLINA $1,000 2.44% Construction
EMILYS LIST $1,000 2.44% Ideology/Single Issue
SOUTH CAROLINA TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOC $1,000 2.44% Lawyers & Lobbyists
SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOC OF REALTORS $1,000 2.44% Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
ABBOTT LABORATORIES $1,000 2.44% Health
CIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT $1,000 2.44% Uncoded
IRONWORKERS LOCAL 601 $1,000 2.44% Labor
ILA PAC $1,000 2.44% Uncoded
SUNSHINE RECYCLING $1,000 2.44% General Business
ROQUEMORE, JAMES W $1,000 2.44% Agriculture
SOUTH CAROLINA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOC $800 1.95% Transportation
JOHNSON & JOHNSON SERVICES $500 1.22% Health
INDEPENDENT CONSUMER FINANCE ASSOC OF SOUTH CAROLINA/FINPAC $500 1.22% Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
MALLOY LAW FIRM $500 1.22% Lawyers & Lobbyists
DUKE ENERGY $500 1.22% Energy & Natural Resources
SOUTH CAROLINA MEDICAL ASSOC $500 1.22% Health
ADAMS OUTDOOR ADVERTISING $500 1.22% General Business
TABLE 2: Top 15 Industries Top Industries Total
Lawyers & Lobbyists $4,500
Electric Utilities $4,000
Pharmaceuticals & Health Products $3,500
Commercial Banks $3,300
Health Professionals $3,250
Beer, Wine & Liquor $2,000
Miscellaneous Manufacturing & Distributing $1,750
Oil & Gas $1,500
Home Builders $1,100
Party Committees $1,000
Hospitals & Nursing Homes $1,000
General Trade Unions $1,000
Trucking $1,000
Farm Bureau $1,000
Lodging & Tourism $1,000
2004
TABLE 1: Top 20 Contributors Contributor Total % of Total Sector
HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS OF SOUTH CAROLINA $1,000 2.44% Party
SOUTH CAROLINA TRUCKING ASSOC $1,000 2.44% Transportation
SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES/ECHO $1,000 2.44% Energy & Natural Resources
SUPER-SOD CAROLINA $1,000 2.44% Construction
EMILYS LIST $1,000 2.44% Ideology/Single Issue
SOUTH CAROLINA TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOC $1,000 2.44% Lawyers & Lobbyists
SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOC OF REALTORS $1,000 2.44% Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
ABBOTT LABORATORIES $1,000 2.44% Health
CIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT $1,000 2.44% Uncoded
IRONWORKERS LOCAL 601 $1,000 2.44% Labor
ILA PAC $1,000 2.44% Uncoded
SUNSHINE RECYCLING $1,000 2.44% General Business
ROQUEMORE, JAMES W $1,000 2.44% Agriculture
SOUTH CAROLINA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOC $800 1.95% Transportation
JOHNSON & JOHNSON SERVICES $500 1.22% Health
INDEPENDENT CONSUMER FINANCE ASSOC OF SOUTH CAROLINA/FINPAC $500 1.22% Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
MALLOY LAW FIRM $500 1.22% Lawyers & Lobbyists
DUKE ENERGY $500 1.22% Energy & Natural Resources
SOUTH CAROLINA MEDICAL ASSOC $500 1.22% Health
ADAMS OUTDOOR ADVERTISING $500 1.22% General Business
TABLE 2
Top 15 Industries
Lawyers & Lobbyists $2,100
Pharmaceuticals & Health Products $2,050
Automotive $1,650
Electric Utilities $1,500
Health Professionals $1,300
Miscellaneous Manufacturing & Distributing $1,250
Trucking $1,250
General Trade Unions $1,200
Real Estate $1,150
Party Committees $1,000
Special Trade Contractors $1,000
Agricultural Services & Products $1,000
Beer, Wine & Liquor $1,000
Pro-Choice $1,000
Business Services $750
Who will be S.C. Democrats’ candidate in governor’s race?
By GINA SMITH
gnsmith@thestate.com
Speculation ran high at Saturday’s S.C. Democratic Convention on who will be the party’s 2010 gubernatorial nominee.
Two contenders, Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw, and Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod, worked the crowd while two still mulling a run, S.C. Superintendent of Education Jim Rex and House Minority Leader Harry Ott of Calhoun, took to the podium.
Party chairwoman Carol Fowler was re-elected to a second term. She said one of her top priorities will be putting a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion.
Meanwhile, a couple of hundred signs reading “Run, Gilda, Run!” were passed out at the door, even though Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, has not expressed interest in a run.
“Vincent doesn’t have the magic. Harry doesn’t have the magic. Gilda does,” said Brett Bursey, a member of the S.C. Progressive Voter Coalition, which made the signs.
While there’s no consensus on who should be the nominee, all agree the ideal candidate will have the same brand of magic as President Barack Obama, whose presidential candidacy resulted in record turnout during the state’s Democratic primary last year.
“It must be someone who can harness the young vote. Someone who is a great speaker. Someone who has a positive message,” said former Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum who has not decided which gubernatorial contender she will back.
She and husband Sam Tenenbaum are some of Columbia’s biggest contributors to Democratic campaigns.
Another large contributor, Bud Ferillo, most well known for his documentary “Corridor of Shame,” said he’s not convinced the right nominee has stepped forward.
“They’re all from small constituencies,” Ferillo said.
The lack of name recognition could make it difficult to raise money in a race that could cost as much as $10 million.
“They will need to have a passionate advocacy for job creation and public education,” Ferillo said. “Those are the twin engines that drove the candidacies of (former Democratic governors) Jim Hodges and Dick Riley.”
Hodges and Riley are the only two Democrats to win the S.C. governor’s mansion in the past 34 years.
Democrats also hope to capitalize on South Carolina’s third-place ranking in unemployment, coupled with Gov. Mark Sanford’s refusal to accept stimulus money to back fill the budgets of school district and law enforcement agencies.
“That has given an opening for a Democratic governor,” said Columbia Mayor Bob Coble.
Reach Smith at (803) 771-8658.
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