Between the lines: What the candidates had to say

What the candidates for governor had to say, and to which voting group they were speaking, during Saturday's gubernatorial debate:

ROBERT FORD

Charleston state senator

What he had to say: Ford spent much of the debate talking about his plans to generate more revenue for South Carolina, and two of his objectives are bringing back video poker and expanding the state's film industry. Ford says video poker would generate $1 billion in new revenue. He says the film industry could create up to 100,000 jobs. Ford got more specific about his plans for education, saying he would like to reduce the teacher-student ratio in South Carolina to 15:1 and start a statewide tutoring initiative that would expand the school week by 20 hours. Ford says that would help improve the state's drop-out rate.

Who he was trying to reach: The last Democratic governor was elected, in part, by promising gaming revenues would be used to help education in South Carolina. Ford is using a similar strategy.

How he tried to distinguished himself: Ford cast himself as the candidate best able to work across party lines, noting at one time that the General Assembly is run by Charleston Republicans with whom he has good relations.

JIM REX

S.C. education superintendent

What he had to say: Rex talked about the dire need for additional funding for S.C.'s public school system. He expressed skepticism about off-shore drilling and said the remedy for rebuilding the state's economy is with a hands-on approach by the governor and a bigger investment in technical colleges.

Who he was trying to reach: Rex leaned on the usual Democratic talking points regarding education, environmental stewardship and tax reform. But in talking about education, Rex showed the most passion during the debate. Education is an important issue among Democrats, and Rex spoke directly to those voters.

How he tried to distinguished himself: Rex called himself a "post-career politician" and assailed the "career politicians" in South Carolina, which can be interpreted as a dig at Ford and Kershaw Sen. Vincent Sheheen. Ford and Sheheen have served a combined 28 years in the General Assembly. Rex has served most of one term as S.C. education superintendent.

VINCENT SHEHEEN

Kershaw state senator

What he had to say: Sheheen talked about his role in challenging Gov. Mark Sanford when he refused to accept federal stimulus aid to help South Carolina schools. He also talked about how he and Ford were two of the only dissenting votes in the General Assembly when state lawmakers passed a 2006 bill that cut property taxes devoted to schools and raised the state's sales tax to pay for school operations. Critics of the move say the swap caused the exacerbated the recession's impact on school revenue.

Who he was trying to reach: Sheheen, 38, talked several times about new ideas while standing between a pair of candidates over 60. He also touched on his jobs and education agenda, which are both business focused. Sheheen wants to reach progressives and conservative Democrats.

How he tried to distinguished himself: Sheheen pointed out he was born in South Carolina. It was perhaps a subtle dig at his opponents who were not born here. Ford was born in Louisiana. Rex was born in Ohio.