LIVE BLOG: South Carolina Election Night

UPDATE: I'll be LIVE blogging South Carolina's Election Night returns on the new Indigo Journal site tonight. Pop over and say hello. Need any help registering to comment or navigating the new site, just shoot me an email. Look forward to seeing y'all there!

The big day is finally here and South Carolinians are heading to the polls in record numbers across the Palmetto State.

I'll be hanging out today at my new blog, Indigo Journal, where we'll be working into the night to keep you up to date on the latest Election news as it happens.

Throughout the day, you can follow our updates at IJ or via our IJ Twitter feed. Also, check out the SC Election 2008 feed in the right-side navigation bar. It's a special Twitter feed featuring real-time updates from Indigo Journal, as well as other S.C. bloggers and insiders from both sides of the political aisle.

But don't just wait for us to post an update. Please chime in and share your thoughts, experiences, and pictures in our Election Day Open Thread. Let us know what's on your mind and what's happening in your local neighborhood on this historic Election Day.

If you need any help registering to comment or have a bit of breaking news you'd rather email, give us a shout out at admin@indigojournal.com.

New Rob Miller ad: "Supporting our Troops"

It's smack-down time in South Carolina's Second Congressional District race as Democratic challenger Rob Miller has just released a tough new ad pounding Republican incumbent Joe Wilson for his votes against several veterans' benefit bills.

The scathing 30 second spot hits the Congressman for allegedly voting "11 times against health care for veterans" and for his vote "against a combat bonus for our troops."

Miller's new ad ends with the message:

We can do better. Rob Miller, a decorated Iraq veteran, will fight for those who fought for us.

The ad will begin airing across the Second District Tuesday and is also currently up on Miller's campaign website -- embedded beside the list of veterans' health care bills that Congressman Wilson voted against.

Latest SC-01 poll shows a 5 point race

A new Live5 News/Survey USA poll shows Democratic candidate Linda Ketner within 5 points of Republican incumbent Henry Brown:

Brown (R-inc) – 50
Ketner (D) – 45
(MoE: ±4.1%)

The survey of 600 likely voters was conducted October 25 and 26. Other key findings: Brown leads 3:2 among whites; Ketner leads 7:1 among blacks.

The poll assumes that 20% of the First Congressional District voters are black, which is inline with the 2006 U.S. Census estimate of 21%.

A year ago, I would have never thought this possible. But if African-American turnout is as strong as it’s projected to be on Election Day, there’s a real chance Ketner could turn this blood Red district Blue on November 4.

DCCC puts money on Ketner

NATIONAL DEMS POUR $40K INTO SC-01 RACE

It was a dynamite day for Democratic House candidates as the DCCC dropped a staggering $12.6 million dollars into 51 races across the country.

And according to today’s FEC independent expenditure reports, the DCCC finally decided to show Linda Ketner some real love – investing $39,926 in South Carolina’s First Congressional District race.

The funds come the same day that Henry Brown launched his first district-wide attack ad accusing Ketner of being “Too Liberal” for South Carolina voters.

Anyhoo...


Also making news today in the SC-01 race, the above picture is from a mailer sent out by Henry Brown’s crack campaign staff this week featuring the Congressman standing beside Smokey the Bear. Yep, the man whose been burning up the pages of the local newspapers for months over his forest fire drama apparently thought this would be the perfect photo to plant on the front of his latest mailer.

Even better, Brown enclosed his trademark “Oh, Henry” candy bars with each mailer – many of which melted into a brown, gooey mess before reaching delivery.

H/T James L. at Swing State Project

Mulvaney “Looking Out for Himself”?

The South Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus has just released a tough new ad slamming Republican Mick Mulvaney on a host of charges from wanting to “raise the gas tax,” to using “$30M in tax-payer bonds for a land development deal for his business.”

The new 30 second spot also notes that the House Ethics Committee fined Mulvaney “for trying to hide campaign contributions he took from a group that wants to funnel tax dollars from public schools to exclusive private schools.”

The ad closes with the lines:

“Who will look out for us in the State Senate? Not Mick Mulvaney -- he’s looking out for himself.”

Mulvaney is running against Democrat Mandy Powers Norrell for the open Senate District 16 Seat covering York and Lancaster Counties. The SD16 contest has become one of the toughest fought S.C. races this year, with Powers Norrell currently fending off her own series of attacks from Republican interest groups.

Look for more action between these two tough contenders as Election Day nears.

South Carolina Liberals need a Party?

Will Moredock has an interesting piece in The Columbia City Paper today arguing that South Carolina Democrats should forgo their official nominee on the ticket – so-called Ron Paul Democrat Bob Conley – and instead, write in his primary challenger Mike Cone. In the process, he also takes a non-too-subtle swipe at the failure of the S.C. Democratic Party to nominate a viable challenger to take on a vulnerable Lindsey Graham this year:

[…] The Democratic Party has seen some lean times in South Carolina in recent years. The party holds only one statewide constitutional office – Jim Rex at the Department of Education.

Last year, when the state Democratic Party was casting about for candidates to challenge Lindsay Graham for the U.S. Senate, there was a thundering silence from the rank and file. Among the party’s A-Team, Alex Sanders and Inez Tannenbaum had each lost U.S. Senate races in the past six years, when the two seats were open. Neither wanted to get bloodied again, running against an incumbent. Ditto, former Gov. Jim Hodges, who was thrashed by Mark Sanford in 2002, but salved his wounds by remaking himself into one of the most highly paid lobbyists in Columbia.

In the face of this grim dilemma, Cone did what a good Citadel man is taught to do. He stepped up and volunteered.

Moredock gives a brief run-down of Cone’s narrow primary defeat to a candidate who frustratingly knew his opponent was actually a certified Republican, but couldn’t generate the funds needed to let S.C. Dems know the score. His piece highlights a topic I’ve spent a great deal of time here on Elonkey discussing: the need to transform the S.C.D.P. into a recruitment-driven party committed to building a strong candidate base and a thriving grassroots network of organizers and fundraisers.

Now, before all you lovely Conley folks jump all over me, I’m not advocating that anyone out there write in Mr. Cone or anyone else – quite frankly, it wouldn’t do any good anyway. My hope is that party leaders will quickly rebound from 2008 and use this year’s wasted opportunity as a stark reminder of what happens when you fail to invest the time and resources towards growing and nurturing candidates from the ground up.

Latest Ketner ad hits Brown on franking abuse

Linda Ketner’s air assault against incumbent Henry Brown rages on in South Carolina’s First Congressional District with the Democratic challenger’s newest ad, “Forgotten.”

The latest 30 second spot opens with the line, “We face the biggest challenges of the past 50 years, but Henry Brown spent more of our tax-payer money on junk mail than any other member of Congress.”

The Ketner ad cites a 2008 AP report which found that in 2006, Congressman Brown’s “office spent about $177,000 to send out more than 1.25 million pieces of mail — more than any other member of Congress.”

After highlighting the millions Brown spent on mailings, Ketner then points out that the GOP incumbent voted to raise his own pay 6 times before closing with the lines:

The South Carolina middleclass needs help, but Henry Brown is helping himself.

Linda Ketner -- it’s time for Congress to get to work for us.

Ouch.

Check it out.