Early politicking for governor like Christmas lights before Halloween

By: Morning News | SCNow
Published: January 29, 2009

It’s hard to believe, but candidates for governor already are “politicking” for the race in 2010.

One of the reasons is because incumbent Gov. Mark Sanford will finish his second term and cannot run for governor again.

Of course, some people might say candidates for governor, or just about any political office, are campaigning all the time.

That’s true.

But, as campaigns get longer and longer, it almost reminds us of retailers trying to push Christmas shopping earlier and earlier.

One of the reasons for the early campaigning, of course, is that candidates want to get commitments from people to give money for their campaigns.

They want to try to discourage other candidates from entering the race or staying in once they know that the big money donors have committed to a certain candidate.

And you wonder about the candidates, most of whom already have a political office and how they balance the need to campaign with the need to pay attention to their current political job.

And whenever they make decisions, everything gets judged on whether politics is involved.

One of the dangers of the early campaigning is that certain candidates get out in front long before the voters get involved.

And, so for the majority of us, we have to choose at the polls between candidates who got there long before a real vote.

With such a long time between now and the actual primaries in June 2010 and the general election in November 2010, some of the “favorites” probably will drop out, and a candidate or two we haven’t heard about will surface.

But, here in January 2009, are some of the people being talked about.

According to an Associated Press story from veteran State House reporter Jim Davenport, on the Democratic side, Reps. Harry Ott of St. Matthews, and James Smith of Columbia, and Sens. Vincent Sheheen of Camden and Robert Ford of Charleston are considering a run for governor.

The AP also reports that Joe Erwin, a former state Democratic Party chairman and advertising executive from Greenville, is thinking about a a campaign for governor.

But for the Democrats, money will be challenge.

The AP reports that so far, the most recent State Ethics Commission filings show Ott with $91,600, Sheheen with $33,000, Smith with $6,600 and Ford with just under $6,000.

The AP reports that possible Republican candidates have about $2 million raised so far.

Rep. Gresham Barrett’s Federal Election Commission report says he had $713,000 as of November, but according to the AP, he has to get permission to use that money for a statewide race instead of another run for Congress.

State Attorney General Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. André Bauer also have several hundred thousands of dollars raised.

It’s a long way to the primaries but the campaigning as you can see has long since begun.

Too bad it will be such a long time before the voters get their say.