On Tuesday, voters in South Carolina will vote to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Tim Scott’s appointment to the Senate. It will be one of the most lop-sided elections ever, with voters knowing almost everything about former Gov. Mark Sanford and almost nothing about his opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch. The Democrat apparently wants voters to elect her, before they find out what she believes.
Colbert Busch has rejected almost all calls for debates, keeps a limited public schedule and has mostly, it seems, outsourced her campaign to national groups like the DCCC, Nancy Pelosi’s House Majority PAC and labor unions. The Sanford campaign has offered to debate Colbert Busch several times, but she has turned down those requests. On Monday, she participated in a single debate, sponsored by Patch and South Carolina public radio.
“We have a 200 year old tradition in this country of debating the issues,” Sanford told Breitbart News. “It’s what’s held us together as a nation. We sit around the table and exchange ideas. We may not always agree, but we know where people stand.”
Sanford said that the nation faces some critical choices. “Do we go left,” he asked, “or do we go right? The voters know where I stand. They ought to know where my opponent stands.”
The district leans Republican and Colbert Busch has described herself as “fiscally conservative” and a “centrist.” Her campaign, however, is fueled by labor unions and national Democrats and progressives. A source with close ties to Democrats told Breitbart News that the party has put more than $1 million behind Colbert Busch.
“The Republicans are missing it,” the source said. “They don’t understand how hard the Democrats are competing here.” This is the first congressional election since Obama’s reelection, the source noted. Their only focus is winning back the House in 2014.
“If Democrats win here,” the source said, “they can make the case to the political investor community around the country that they can take back the House.” The decision of national Republicans not to aggressively contest this seat could haunt them next year.
Grass roots activist Debbie Jones expressed frustration to Breitbart News that the GOP was not ‘stepping up’ to defend the seat. “Why hasn’t Tim Scott endorsed Sanford,” Jones asked. “We can’t get a straight answer.”
Jones didn’t support Sanford in the run-off, but she has thrown her full support behind him for next week’s election. She said FreedomWorks has sent activists door-hangers and Sanford signs and they are busy trying to turn out Republicans and conservatives. “We can’t let the Democrats steal this seat,” Jones said.
Even though Colbert Busch has run a stealth campaign, Sanford is confident that the race is “crystalizing” in the final days. “People are beginning to realize there is a choice,” Sanford said. “I feel good.”
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