Carolina Politics Online

Adam Brickley who writes for Race 4 2012 was a CPAC blogger who had the fortunate experience of crossing paths with Katherine Jenerette, Republican candidate for South Carolina’s First Congressional District.  In his own words, he was very impressed with her after speaking with her and decided “in a moment” that she is needed in Congress.

After spending a few minutes with her – I think this woman definitely has a shot. For one, she is a PISTOL - and I’m not even sure that term does her justice, even when bolded, italicized, underlined, and capitalized. She sat and chewed that fat with several bloggers for a few minutes - and this woman doesn’t just come off as a real person, she IS a real person. In all my political experience I have NEVER met a candidate with such a total lack of pretension.

Of course, she’s solid on the issues, and very well spoken (although in a very down to earth fashion) – but it was the “what you see is what you get” attitude that really hit home for me. She pulled absolutely no punches and made no apologies for either her demeanor, her thick southern accent, or anything else about herself.

Jenerette was my favored candidate in the 2008 GOP primary for relatively the same reasons.  She has the right ideas, the right background, and the will and nerve to fight the corrupt status quo in Washington.  Had she defeated Brown in the primary, the general election would have been quite a race between her and Linda Ketner, both of them being two very intelligent and assertive women in South Carolina, a state that I don’t believe has ever sent a woman to Washington.

With there being such a large pool of candidates for this seat this year I will probably spend a lot of time on this particular race until the primaries approach so keep stopping by to see what’s new.

Man, this thing is getting huge!  Mark Lutz, a managing partner of the technology company Virtual Factory Inc. based in Quincy, Massachusetts is the eighth Republican to jump into the race to replace Congressman Henry Brown.  According to the Post and Courier, Lutz intends to focus on his lack of political experience as one of his strengths against his many opponents.  We are supposed to have a citizen legislature, after all.  The article also notes that Lutz is a supporter of the Fair Tax, a plan that would eliminate the Federal Income Tax and replace with a national sales tax.

Lutz makes the twelfth candidate to join this Congressional race, along with seven other Republicans, three Democrats, and one Independence Party candidate.  The current crop of candidates are:

• Councilman Ryan Buckhannon (R)
• Col. Robert Burton (D)
• Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III (R)
• Robert Dobbs (D)
• Katherine Jenerette (R)
• Charleston County School Board member Larry Kobrovsky (R)
• State Representative Tim Scott (R)
• Councilman Paul Thurmond (R)
• Dick Withington (D)
• Stovall Witte (R)
• Jimmy Wood (I)

Paul Thurmond, son of the late Senator Strom Thurmond, a very controversial figure in American history, but beloved politician of South Carolinians, has decided to throw his hat into the ring to get the Republican nomination to replace the retiring Congressman Henry Brown.

Paul Thurmond is only 34 years old, but his father died in 2003 at age 100, which means Strom was incredibly old when he fathered his son.

Thurmond joins an ever crowding primary which includes Katherine Jenerette, Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, and Isle of Palms of Councilman Ryan Buckhannon.

This information is courtesy of The Hill.

Apparently, I was correct in my speculation that Brown’s Democratic challenger in 2008, Linda Ketner, is exploring the possibility of a second bid for the seat now that Mr. Brown is thankfully retiring.  Ketner is reported to make a decision within the next week as to whether she will pursue the seat again.  I think her entry can make it a more  competitive race, but should she choose not to run I think whoever wins the GOP nomination will cruise into Election Day rather easily.  The Democrats don’t seem to have anyone else who I would consider to be a top tier candidate.  Ketner’s hesitancy is a concern over the national political environment right now and it’s a valid concern.  As each week passes the political atmosphere is becoming more hostile to the Democrats, practically a complete reversal from what we’ve seen in the last two election cycles.  In fact it’s become so hostile that the current U.S. Senate race to fill the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat in the reliably Democratic state of Massachusetts has actually become competitive according to polling.  If Ketner runs I think she will have to distance herself from the radical leadership of her party and paint herself as more of an independent Democrat who won’t be afraid to say no to Nancy Pelosi if it’s in the interest of her constituents, a quality we haven’t seen from Mr. Spratt up here in York County.

On the Republican side the field is much more diverse.  Three Republicans have already officially declared their candidacies.  They are Reagan conservative Katherine Jenerette, Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, and Isle of Palms city councilman Ryan Buckhannon.  Buckhannon and I go “way back.”  According to The Hill, the late Senator Strom Thurmond’s son Paul Thurmond is also considering entering the fray.  It’s hard to say who would be the early front runner in this crowded of a field.  Jenerette is definitely the anti-establishment candidate and I could see her ginning up the support of the tea party movement.  Campbell and Thurmond could both gain the support of the local and national GOP as they would be “insiders” due to their family ties.  I don’t think  Buckhannon will go very far in the race. I just don’t think that a small town councilman will be able to compete in a race with such high profile names in the running.

So this could shape up to be a very captivating House race when it is all said and done.  It will all depend on where the chips fall and the decisions made within the coming weeks.  We’ll keep our eyes and ears open.

Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, a farm boy who rose to became one of South Carolina’s most powerful politicians, announced Monday he will not seek a sixth term in Congress so he can spend more time with his family.

“While this has been a difficult decision to make, I’m convinced that this is the right time for me to step down,” Brown said in a statement.

The LA Times

And I couldn’t be happier to see him go.  Brown is another glutinous “earmarker” wasting away our tax dollars on piggish pork to bribe his way into reelection after reelection.  A fresh new face is needed and Brown’s retirement will undoubtedly bring out multiple candidates on both sides of the aisle.  Reagan conservative Katherine Jenerette has already declared her candidacy for a second attempt at the seat.  I’m curious to wait and see if Brown’s Democratic challenger from 2008, Linda Ketner, will reconsider a bid now that Brown is out.

The National Journal cites a few other potential Republican candidates including Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell III, Isle of Palms councilman Ryan Buckhannon, and attorney Mark Fava.

I made mention in a post about Henry Brown the other day that I wasn’t sure if Katherine Jenerette was going to make another run against Brown next year.  I guess this answers my question. I really hope more people get behind her this time.

Linda Ketner has ruled out a second challenge to Congressman Henry Brown next year, but left open the possibility of some kind of future run.  This means that Brown will probably not get any real competition next year, unfortunately.  None of the names being floated by the Post and Courier as possible challengers in the general or primary intrigue me much.  Tumpy Campbell III is considering a primary challenge, but I don’t know much about him.  I haven’t heard any news of Katherine Jenerette taking another shot either as of yet.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KATHERINE JENERETTE’S 75-Day Whirlwind Campaign for US CONGRESS

SUBJECT: Republican Congressional Candidate Katherine Jenerette thanks All-Volunteer Campaign Team – Congratulates U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, Jr. and remarks on the November Election

DATE: June 10, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.jenerette.org

PHOTOS at: www.jenerette.org/photos

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, Jr. and offer my support to both him and to all the members of the Republican slate of candidates for the November 2008 general elections. With the primary election behind us it is time to “bury the hatchet” and to come together in order to best serve our District and our State of South Carolina in anyway we each can as a party with an agenda for the future.

Two and a half months ago I was an Army Lieutenant at Ft Benning, Georgia, serving alongside some of the best young men and women this nation has to offer and upon returning home to South Carolina I changed back into civilian clothes and along with a great all-volunteer team of supporters from Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Berkeley and Horry Counties I started my campaign for the U.S. Congress.

In a 75-day whirlwind congressional campaign these great team members worked tirelessly and pulled together thousands of voters throughout the district who recognized that times have changed and that a new vision for the future is needed for everything from national security, taxes, energy, the economy, education and illegal immigration. Their efforts were successful in getting out a clear message and we finished the primary election in a solid second place in a three-man race. I am indebted to them all for their hard work in our uphill fight against a four-term incumbent and to each of them individually for their dedication and loyalty to our conservative principles and objectives.

But for now, the real race will be in November’s elections. The battleground is the Presidency and the Congress. And, whether we like it or not, four hundred and thirty five elected representatives set the budget and policy agenda for this entire country. The reality of the unavoidable “Obama Factor” on the voter turn-out cannot be underestimated and our focus must be on Republican results not divisiveness.

The Democrats have successfully painted themselves as the party with a vision for the future and a party with ideas while we Republican’s have had great difficulty in articulating our “old” but principled ideas of limited government, less taxation, national interest, etc. let alone come up with new ideas to deal with our nations future.

These are trying times and Novembers’ election is going to prove itself a historical moment in our nations history. There should be no doubt in any ones mind either Democrat or Republican: This Election 2008 is a fight for the soul of our nation.

We must do a better job reaching a conservative public that has seemed to have lost faith in both politics and politicians with not much more than a status-quo agenda to offer the voters. Boring messages from boring messengers do not bring out the voters.

However, I do know Congressman Brown to be a dedicated and hard worker and I am certain that he recognizes that Washington is a far different place today than it was with a Republican majority in both Houses. The first fight for all of us then is to help Rep. Brown to defeat the challenge from the Democrats candidate for Congress Linda Ketner so he can take the next fight to Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi and somehow slow down her liberal agenda while aggressively carrying the ball for our conservative agenda.

This is no small task.

Anyway, I’ve been active in local, state and national politics since I was old enough to vote and I knew this primary election was going to be an uphill fight. I want everyone who supported me and voted for me to know that I am both humbled and proud of my grassroots organization and the team network that kept us on the playing field through the final minutes of play left on the clock. Thank you.

For me, it’s now time to move forward and look to the future; I’m still pretty young and I’m not planning on going anywhere. South Carolina is my home, my children go to school here, my family goes to church here and we have neighbors, friends and relatives here. And, like many other parents whose children are growing up way too fast, I’m trying to get my son who is in High School to pick a college here in Carolina to attend. Even after this election, the future looks real promising from where I’m standing.

Again, my sincere appreciation to my supporters and to those voters who went to the polls and cast their votes on election day even if they did not vote for me. Our elections are for all the people, which is why I still serve in uniform alongside so many others in the military – so we all could be free to vote our choices and our conscience.

Thank you all and God Bless!

Katherine Jenerette
Email: uscongress@msn.com

We have a three way Republican Primary in South Carolina’s First Congressional District. Henry Brown is an incumbent Congressman running for this fifth term. I really have no feelings toward Brown one way or the other. He isn’t one to show up in the media much. He received a rating of 96 from the American Conservative Union for 2007, not too shabby and he’s been involved in government for about 27 years, starting in the city council, moving up to state office and then Federal.

He has two challengers in the primary. The first, Paul Norris, is the President of Southeast Energy Partners. Naturally, he is big on the coming energy crisis that most Americans have not yet awaken to. I also like how he released his tax returns. He feels that if he is going to be handling others tax money, they have a right to see how he manages his own.

The one candidate that really stands out to me out of the three, however, is Katherine Jenerette. A history professor, mother of four, and a second lieutenant in the army reserves, I think Mrs. Jenerette is the total package that disgruntled conservatives and others disoriented with the Republican Party are looking for. Read and learn:

She said she decided to run for Congress partly out of frustration of how Republicans squandered their congressional majorities.

“We had the playing field, and we fumbled,” she said. “We spent like drunken sailors. We left the party platform behind.”

Jenerette said she favors a federal hiring freeze and the Fair Tax, a plan to eliminate the income tax by significantly raising the sales tax. She said her service in the U.S. Army Reserve would make her an important voice on national security issues.

As for the Iraq war, she said, “We can sit here and be Monday morning quarterbacks. We’re there because of our national interests. We’re there because of oil. What angers me is how we’ve made it into a political football.” She said she supports U.S. Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq and would pounce on his critics.

Jenerette said education is a big issue with her, and she would push to abolish the federal No Child Left Behind Act. “It’s created a nightmare bureaucracy for our schools.”

Marvelous. She hit the fiscal issues, the education issues, and the military issues right on the button. Additionally, she points out how Congressional Republicans have lost their way and threw a platform for success overboard to satisfy their own greed. Ah, it brings tears to my eyes.

It’s very difficult to take down an incumbent, even more so in a primary, but hope springs eternal. I hope enough Republicans who are looking for a return to the Class of ‘94 ideals are paying attention in this race. They have a candidate.

While all six of the state’s congressmen face challengers, none of the races will be repeats as the all the major party losers in the general election of 2006 did not file to run for Congress again.

Fifth District Congressman John Spratt went the longest without a challenger. Republican Albert F. Spencer didn’t file to run against the 13-term Democrat until Saturday.

Spencer and Spratt have met before. In 2004, Spencer got 37 percent of the vote. A much better financed and supported Republican challenger in 2006, Ralph Norman, received about 43 percent of the vote against Spratt.

The 5th District stretches along the state’s northern border and rural Pee Dee areas – from Newberry and Cherokee counties more than 130 miles east to Dillon County.

The most crowded race is in the 1st District, which stretches from the Grand Strand to Charleston. Four-term incumbent Henry Brown will face Katherine Jenerette and Paul V. Norris in the Republican primary, while Linda Ketner and Ben Frasier compete for the Democratic nomination.

In the 2nd District, incumbent Joe Wilson will go for his fourth full term. He faces Phil Black in the Republican primary, while Rob Miller and Blaine Lotz are running for the Democratic nomination. That district runs from Beaufort County north into the northern and western suburbs of Columbia.

Gresham Barrett is seeking a fourth term in the 3rd District in the northwest part of the state. He will face Democrat Jane Dyer in the general election.

Fourth District incumbent Bob Inglis is trying for a third term since returning to Congress in 2004. He will face Charles Jeter in the Republican primary, while Bryan McCanless, Paul H. Corden and Ted Christian face off in the Democratic primary.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn will run for a ninth term in the majority-black 6th District. He will take on Republican Nancy Harrelson in the general election.

The State

Because of gerrymandering, don’t expect any of these to flip.

Jane Dyer of Easley, a pilot for FedEx, announced Thursday as a Democratic candidate in the 3rd Congressional District.

Republican incumbent Gresham Barrett of Westminster is seeking re-election.

Also Thursday, Katherine Jenerette filed as a Republican in the 1st Congressional District where fellow Republican Henry Brown of Charleston is the incumbent.

Dyer said her campaign would focus on pocketbook issues and if elected, she would push economic development, improved education and affordable health care.

The Greenville News