SC GOP gov hopefuls support low taxes, Confederate flag

NEWBERRY, S.C. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidates sought to prove their conservative credentials Tuesday in a wide-ranging debate that invoked stock GOP principles and included even a few kind words for the fiscal conservativism of embattled Gov. Mark Sanford.

They closed the door to dealing with an old wound: removing the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds. And they vowed to lower taxes, increase school choice and bring jobs to the state. Paramount for the group was getting South Carolina’s sputtering economy back on track.

Three of the candidates — Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett and state Sen. Larry Grooms of Bonneau — have all said Sanford should resign.

A fourth, Attorney General Henry McMaster, asked for an ethics investigation that’s fueling impeachment efforts. The fifth, longtime Sanford ally and state Rep. Nikki Haley or Lexington, said she was disappointed in Sanford, but the media and politicians need to move on.

“What I do think the people of this state are very focused on is the fact that we have 12 percent unemployment in this state,“ said state Rep. Nikki Haley.

Several candidates said for all his troubles, Sanford’s stand against federal stimulus money and in favor of limited government spending were laudable.

McMaster invoked John C. Calhoun and states rights to nullify federal laws as he talked about the importance of fighting the federal government’s spending requirements as he answered a question about building a state militia to keep federal authority in check.

“And I think we have to fight it every turn. I wouldn’t fight it with bullets, but I’d fight it with everything else we have,“ McMaster said.

The candidates made it clear they were seeking to distance themselves from the scandal-plagued Sanford, whose travel has been questioned since his five-day trip to visit his mistress in Argentina in June. As state lawmakers consider impeachment proceedings, Sanford has become a favorite topic for late-night comedy show hosts.

“The fact that we are a joke now nationally is a problem,“ Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said.

Said state Sen. Larry Grooms, “I am sick and I am tired of us being a laughingstock.“

The audience laughed when the candidates were asked if they were a “Mark Sanford Republican” or a “Carroll Campbell Republican,“ a reference to the late governor who is credited with building the state GOP. Some of the candidates said they were blend of the two, calling attention to the fiscal conservative role Sanford has played in state politics.

The crowd of about 400 was one of the biggest GOP gatherings since Sanford skipped the state in June and returned to confess his affair. And the debate gave the candidates a head start on gaining visibility ahead of the June 2010 primary.

Most of the news from the state Republican Party has come from conference calls and caucus meetings as the party and legislators have urged Sanford to resign so the GOP can regroup and the state can move on.

Republican candidates for years have faced questions about the Confederate flag that now flies at a monument on Statehouse grounds. On Tuesday were asked if they would reopen the debate on removing the banner that’s at the center of a nine-year-old NAACP state boycott.

“That debate as far as I am concerned is settled,“ Grooms said. “I want to lead us on a path of prosperity instead of dredging up old wounds.“

Bauer faced questions about his plans for office and whether his delay in announcing means he’s not committed or to be taken seriously.

“I have tried to take a situation that has become late-night talk show hosts jokes” and move the state forward, Bauer said.

While McMaster waits for the results of the Sanford ethics investigation, on Tuesday, he faced an ethics question of his own on as he confirmed he takes campaign donations from lawyers that win work with the state. “My job as attorney general is to find the very finest lawyers to handle these cases,“ McMaster said. “These cases are important and the fact that they made contribution to me or to my opponent has nothing to do with it.“

Democrats, meanwhile, are building a field of their own, hoping for a repeat of a 1998 governor race — the last time they won the state’s top elected post.

Democrats had their first candidate forum in April. Their field now has Education Superintendent Jim Rex; state Sens. Robert Ford of Charleston and Vincent Sheheen of Camden, Columbia attorney and lobbyist Dwight Drake and Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod.