THURSDAY WITH THIGPEN: Lawmakers travel expenses, DeMint's opposition and Scott's bid

COLUMBIA – Every Thursday Dr. Neal Thigpen provides his insights on the week’s top political stories. Today we discuss potential concerns about lawmakers travel expenses, Jim DeMint’s opposition of GOP leaders, and Tim Scott’s historic bid to become lieutenant governor.

QUESTION: A S.C. House subcommittee continues to weigh the possibility of impeaching Gov. Mark Sanford. Some of the ethics charges against the governor include the misuse of state aircraft and the misspending of campaign funds. Sanford’s lawyers have argued that the allegations against the governor amount to “splitting hairs.” Recently, state Sen. Wes Hayes (R-York), chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, sent a letter to his fellow senators to remind them that state law forbids them to spend campaign money on expenses that the state already pays for. How might the ethics charges against the governor affect other lawmakers? Might there be a ripple effect, when it comes to expenses or travel? Could they become more cautious?

ANSWER: Sen. Hayes’ letter to his colleagues, suggests to me, is that he probably would feel that the actions that the governor has allegedly taken…amounted to an oversight…he’s sort of saying…‘fellow senators be reminded that money can’t be used from your campaign coffers, unless you specifically state what they’re to be used for’…it’s almost like it’s a reminder of what can befall a person, a public official, if they’re not careful…like the kind of thing that’s happening to the governor right now…perhaps (lawmakers might become more cautious), but that assumes that they’ve been less cautious in the past…but I think it’s simply a reminder…and I wouldn’t take that to mean that…the members of the state Senate have been uncautious in the past…it’s probably unwise to read too much into it.

QUESTION: U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, on a number of occasions, has endorsed Republican candidates for public office in opposition of GOP leaders. Some of the candidates, which DeMint considers to be more conservative, have been underdogs challenging established, incumbent GOP favorites. DeMint has also used his political action committee, the Senate Conservatives Fund, to raise money for candidates that he supports. So far the fund has raised $1.45 million from nationwide contributions. Of the 413 people who have donated at least $200 to the fund, only 8 are from South Carolina. DeMint is a first-term senator who will be seeking reelection next year. Opposing the party endorsed candidate is pretty uncommon for a sitting senator and it’s almost unheard-of from a freshman. What do you make of DeMint’s tactics? Could it hurt him in his bid for re-election?

ANSWER: I don’t necessarily think it will hurt his bid for re-election, certainly he’s a lock in the primary…nobody’s gonna beat DeMint in a Republican senatorial primary…now it could…tend to hurt him a little bit in the general election, if you wind up with a Democratic nominee who could sell themselves as a more reasonable type of conservative…or at least a moderate…and could point to the fact that DeMint has been somebody that seems to…through his political action committee…stir up trouble…in Republican primaries…or in contests where you’ve got a regular Republican party nominee under the guise that they’re not conservative enough…that’s troubling your own house…and I think it’s bad business…but he probably feels like it behooves him because he’s really going national…to get his national numbers up ID wise and stake-out a position as a leading right-wing Republican in the country.

QUESTION: State Rep. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston, is running to be the state’s next lieutenant governor. He is also attempting to become the first African-American Republican elected to statewide office in South Carolina since Reconstruction. Scott is facing Florence County Councilman Ken Ard and Columbia attorney Bill Conner for the GOP nomination. Can Scott win this race?

ANSWER: Oh sure, he can win it. …I don’t think that the fact that he’s black will deter him inside the Republican party…there may have been a time when it would have, but not now … it may tend to be a help to him … to the extent that many Republicans in this state…have sort of had this attitude that they’re tired of being called racist and being perceived as being racist…and that may be something that’s beneficial to Rep. Scott in this race, because you’ve seen the Republicans … recently take steps … to broaden the base of the party to include more minorities…but that doesn’t mean that he’s a lock of any kind…but I think he’ll be in the mix … he’s a contender.

Dr. Neal Thigpen is a longtime political analyst and former political science professor at Francis Marion University, where he served as chairman of the department for 25 years. Active in state and local politics, Thigpen has served numerous times as a delegate to both the state and National Republican Conventions. We talk with Thigpen every week to discuss the latest in South Carolina politics.