Congratulations in Order

Thursday’s editorial congratulates South Carolina on two historic nominations made in the Republican runoff Tuesday night.

The morning after South Carolina’s primary elections concluded, the state’s Republican Party was predictably exultant over its slate of candidates for the November general election.

To a degree, the GOP show of smiles was somewhat unrelated to its nominees – the “Unity Breakfast” was announced before Tuesday’s polls even closed. But such a public kiss-and-make-up is normal for politics: It takes the S.C. Democrats’ special brand of dysfunction, apparently, for a party to mangle its own primary.

Beyond the official stagecraft, however, S.C. Republicans are right to be proud of some of the choices they made.

With his win in Tuesday’s primary and no viable general-election opponent, Republican Tim Scott’s election to Congress is all but assured in November. The Democratic nominee, Ben Frasier, has yet to file his first campaign-finance report, and a better Democratic candidate, Robert Burton, was one of the casualties of the Democrats’ June 8 implosion.

Scott, we would now note, is black. This fact has dominated the national media’s interest in our congressional election, but was of seemingly little importance to local voters, who were much more interested in Scott’s record and ideas, particularly as they relate to federal spending in the 1st District. Though we viewed Scott’s runoff opponent, Paul Thurmond, as likely to be more effective in filling the Grand Strand’s needs, we have never doubted Scott’s ability to quickly become a powerful voice.

Furthermore, the fact that Scott’s race was not a campaign issue does not render it unworthy of note. Only three black Republicans were elected to Congress in the 20th century, one during the Depression and two in the 1990s. For South Carolina, with its history and its reputation, to be sending Congress its first black Republican of the 21st century is a welcome sign of progress.

Likewise, state Rep. Nikki Haley clinched her nomination for governor with a landslide akin to coronation over U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, who won only four counties, all in his home congressional district. In addition to unsubstantiated accusations of infidelity, Haley had to suffer the public ethnic slur of “raghead” from her own county’s sitting state senator, fellow Republican Jake Knotts. Haley was born into the Sikh faith but later baptized a Methodist, and Politico.com noted in its election-night coverage that “as she declared victory, her beaming male relatives stood just off-stage wearing turbans in the Sikh tradition.” More progress.

Unlike Scott, Haley faces a strong Democratic opponent, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen. Both Haley and Sheheen are young, and both ran remarkably clean primary campaigns despite the vicious tendencies of S.C. politics. As members of the General Assembly, both are deeply knowledgeable about our state’s government and the state’s needs, and have built their campaigns thus far on these issues. Between now and November, South Carolina stands to benefit from a robust discussion of Haley and Sheheen’s differing visions for the state’s future.

That is, if the political operatives who surround them don’t get in the way. The Republican Party has already launched an absurd “Greene-Sheheen” campaign, designed to denigrate Sheheen by linking him to the Democrats’ latest recruiting failure in a federal race – a race Sheheen had nothing to do with. Meanwhile, Democrats have returned to their old habit of firing off potshots at the Republicans from the safety of their press shop. Given their trouble with that whole “fielding candidates” thing, perhaps that’s what our state Democratic Party should stick to. If Haley and Sheheen can resist these influences, however, that too will be progress.

This past weekend, Beltway-based political analyst David Bositis cynically cautioned against inferring social change in South Carolina from this election. “It certainly is a changing country in a lot of places in the country, yes,” Bositis told the Associated Press. “South Carolina is not one of those places, not by a long shot.”

Haley, Scott and the S.C. Republicans have symbolically, at least, proved pundits of his ilk wrong. There was a time not long ago when neither Haley nor Scott could have been elected to their current seats in the state legislature, much less been serious contenders for the seats they are now seeking with landslide momentum behind them.

And for that, S.C. Republicans have every right to be proud.

With his win in Tuesday’s primary and no viable general-election opponent, Republican Tim Scott’s election to Congress is all but assured in November. The Democratic nominee, Ben Frasier, has yet to file his first campaign-finance report, and a better Democratic candidate, Robert Burton, was one of the casualties of the Democrats’ June 8 implosion.

Scott, we would now note, is black. This fact has dominated the national media’s interest in our congressional election, but was of seemingly little importance to local voters, who were much more interested in Scott’s record and ideas, particularly as they relate to federal spending in the 1st District. Though we viewed Scott’s runoff opponent, Paul Thurmond, as likely to be more effective in filling the Grand Strand’s needs, we have never doubted Scott’s ability to quickly become a powerful voice.

Furthermore, the fact that Scott’s race was not a campaign issue does not render it unworthy of note. Only three black Republicans were elected to Congress in the 20th century, one during the Depression and two in the 1990s. For South Carolina, with its history and its reputation, to be sending Congress its first black Republican of the 21st century is a welcome sign of progress.

Likewise, state Rep. Nikki Haley clinched her nomination for governor with a landslide akin to coronation over U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, who won only four counties, all in his home congressional district. In addition to unsubstantiated accusations of infidelity, Haley had to suffer the public ethnic slur of “raghead” from her own county’s sitting state senator, fellow Republican Jake Knotts. Haley was born into the Sikh faith but later baptized a Methodist, and Politico.com noted in its election-night coverage that “as she declared victory, her beaming male relatives stood just off-stage wearing turbans in the Sikh tradition.” More progress.

Unlike Scott, Haley faces a strong Democratic opponent, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen. Both Haley and Sheheen are young, and both ran remarkably clean primary campaigns despite the vicious tendencies of S.C. politics. As members of the General Assembly, both are deeply knowledgeable about our state’s government and the state’s needs, and have built their campaigns thus far on these issues. Between now and November, South Carolina stands to benefit from a robust discussion of Haley and Sheheen’s differing visions for the state’s future.

That is, if the political operatives who surround them don’t get in the way. The Republican Party has already launched an absurd “Greene-Sheheen” campaign, designed to denigrate Sheheen by linking him to the Democrats’ latest recruiting failure in a federal race – a race Sheheen had nothing to do with. Meanwhile, Democrats have returned to their old habit of firing off potshots at the Republicans from the safety of their press shop. Given their trouble with that whole “fielding candidates” thing, perhaps that’s what our state Democratic Party should stick to. If Haley and Sheheen can resist these influences, however, that too will be progress.

This past weekend, Beltway-based political analyst David Bositis cynically cautioned against inferring social change in South Carolina from this election. “It certainly is a changing country in a lot of places in the country, yes,” Bositis told the Associated Press. “South Carolina is not one of those places, not by a long shot.”

Haley, Scott and the S.C. Republicans have symbolically, at least, proved pundits of his ilk wrong. There was a time not long ago when neither Haley nor Scott could have been elected to their current seats in the state legislature, much less been serious contenders for the seats they are now seeking with landslide momentum behind them.

And for that, S.C. Republicans have every right to be proud.