OPINION: Sanford to be issue in 2010 governor's race

The last time South Carolina had a Democratic governor, he was swept into office after an unexpected furor over the Republican governor. In 1998, Jim Hodges beat David Beasley in large part because Beasley supported moving the Confederate flag from atop the Statehouse.
Hodges was the first challenger to oust a sitting governor in more than 100 years. That’s how unforgiving rank-and-file Republicans were over Beasley’s decision.
Fast forward to the 2010 election. Although Republican Gov. Mark Sanford is ineligible to run for re-election because of term limits, he will be the major issue in the gubernatorial race.
No one would have guessed Sanford would have imploded. Nevertheless, outrage over the governor’s extramarital affair and his questionable ethics will give Democrats the best chance they’ve had at winning since Hodges sent Beasley home to Society Hill.
A Democrat living in the governor’s mansion used to be commonplace earlier in the 1900s, but South Carolina’s turn to a GOP mainstay has made it difficult in recent decades to break through on a statewide basis. Competitive Republican primaries have gone further recently in picking the power brokers. The more conservative the politician, the better the chance of winning.
For the 2010 race, the Democrats have no shortage of potential candidates. And the candidate with the highest profile, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex, made his announcement first in Florence last week.
We do not think Rex would have risked his job as state superintendent unless he sensed Republican vulnerability. He’s running for the governor’s seat in a field of Democrats that includes Columbia attorney Dwight Drake, Charleston pastor Amos Elliott, state Sen. Robert Ford of Charleston, Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod and state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden.
Rex’s name recognition makes him the frontrunner in the Democratic primary, in our opinion, and he’s sure to have the most scrutiny. As superintendent, he has a record voters will dissect and second guess.
The 67-year-old Rex clearly understands the most pressing issues facing the state. Education and economic development would be No. 1 and No. 2 on any lists, and Rex deals with the quality of teachers, schools and equipment every day. Prosperity often flows from good education.
In his Florence appearance, Rex refused to pile on and add to Sanford’s misery. Republicans want the governor to resign, but Sanford has rejected their demands.
Democrats have been eerily silent recently on the governor, giving rise to the theory they would prefer to keep Sanford around as a punching bag in 2010.
“South Carolina needs a new direction,” Rex said. “Our current leadership has failed and the petty bickering, extreme partisanship and seemingly endless distractions have crippled our state government, which right now delivers way too little for what it spends.”
Rex’s three-plus years in Columbia has been highlighted by improvements in on-time graduation and higher SAT scores. Still, he’s found it difficult to make inroads in at-risk areas such as the Pee Dee. A crumbling Dillon school, J.V. Martin Junior High, is the national metaphor for shoddy educational facilities.
The Republican field would seem formidable, even with Sanford and the economy as issues. The race has produced interest from Lt. Gov. André Bauer, Attorney General Henry McMaster, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, state Sen. Larry Grooms and state Rep. Nikki Haley of Lexington.
Some politicos are buzzing about the possibility of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, who shouted “You lie!” at President Obama, as a possible candidate. Though Wilson’s shout endeared him to extremely conservative Republicans, the average voter in South Carolina would not want the backlash of replacing the controversial Sanford with the contentious Wilson.
Rex said he wants to be a “turnaround governor,” saying he would give South Carolina new direction. Time will tell if voters give him the chance.
Sanford unwittingly has given Democrats hope. If the GOP has to deal with Sanford as an issue, the eventual Democratic nominee has a fighting chance — just as much as Hodges did in 1998.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).