Politics

7th Congressional Race up to 15 Candidates

Two more candidates announced they were entering the race for the new S.C. 7th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Gloria Tinubu, from Atlanta, Ga., announced she will run on the Democratic side. She is a native of Plantersville.

According to a member profile of the Georgia House of Representatives , Tinubu earned a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics and a PhD. in Applied Economics from Clemson University. She chaired the Economics Department at Spelman College and served 18 months as President of Barber-Scotia College, a historically black college in Concord, N.C.

In the late 1990’s, Tinubu served on the Atlanta city council and twice ran for mayor of Atlanta. She is listed as the current District 60 member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing parts of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties.

Romney Draws Crowd in Myrtle Beach

A surprising crowd of approximately 500 people came to see Mitt Romney and Gov. Nikki Haley at the Horry-Georgetown Technical College campus in Myrtle Beach Saturday.

On the weekend before Christmas and with only one day advance notice, the enthusiastic turnout may demonstrate a turn in Romney’s support in South Carolina. He has been trailing Newt Gingrich by double digit polls recently conducted in the state.

Some in the crowd, however, were just drawn by the opportunity to see a presidential candidate. At least six attendees told this reporter they were relatively solid in their support for Gingrich and one couple supporting Obama came to see Romney.

The Masquerader, He’ll Lie and Doesn’t Care

One month before the Republican presidential candidates will be in Myrtle Beach for an important debate, Newt Gingrich has opened a double digit lead over his closest challenger Mitt Romney in South Carolina voter polls.

In a recent NBC News/Wall St. Journal poll, Gingrich holds a 40 percent to 23 percent lead over Romney while a recent Reuters poll had Gingrich leading 28 percent to 18 percent. Yet, even with Gingrich leading, the same polls show Romney as the man most capable of defeating President Obama in November.

Gingrich is a conundrum for Republican voters. Often hailed as a visionary by supporters, Gingrich seems to leave a trail of broken dreams wherever he goes.

SCGOP to host 7th District Debate

Republican candidates for the new S.C. 7th Congressional District will have an early chance to attract voters when the SCGOP presents a candidates debate Sunday January 15, 2012 at 7 p.m. The location of the debate is still to be decided,

The 7th District debate will be part of the SCGOP Experience Weekend & Presidential Debate January 14-16, 2012 in Myrtle Beach. The First in the South Presidential Debate will be held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Monday January 16, 2012 at 8 p.m.

SCGOP Website Confuses Public

Several calls to this reporter questioned the SCGOP website
regarding purchasing tickets to the Presidential Primary Debate weekend coming
January 14-16, 2012.

After choosing the purchase of one
(1) $500 package, which includes access to all events plus two (2) tickets to
the debate and two nights stay at a local hotel, and clicking through to the
payment page, information for one (1) attendee is asked for after the payment
information.

Callers questioned whether this
meant only one attendee would be admitted to the debate.

Lois Eargle, Political Pioneer

A pioneer for women in public service in Horry County, auditor Lois Eargle hopes her legacy will be that she made things easier for women to be elected to public office.

“I started at a time when it was not normal for women to be involved in public positions and I had some hurdles to clear along the way,” said Eargle.

Her first foray into the public arena came as president of the first Citizen’s Congress, appointed by the governor to recommend reform of the South Carolina judicial system.

“The system had not been changed since the current state constitution was adopted in 1895,” Eargle said. “As a result, every county operated its court system differently. The same crime could be charged in different ways, depending upon what county you were charged
in.”

Lucky Dog Television Productions and Politics

Even as a young boy, Donald Smith, owner of Lucky Dog Television Productions, had an entrepreneurial spirit.

“I was always looking for ways to make money,” said Smith.

Growing up in a rural town in South Carolina, Smith’s early endeavors concentrated on farming. By the time he was a senior in high school, he had prepared himself to open his own business.

“I spent several years working part-time in the farm supply business,” said Smith. “I decided to open my own business when I graduated.”

Smith said telling his father that he did not want to go to college was one of the toughest moments of his life.