Florence County GOP chairman, treasurer to run against Leatherman
Florence County’s Treasurer Dean Fowler and Florence County Republican Party Chairman Richard Skipper are expected run for Senate District 31 this year, seeking the seat currently held by Senate President Pro Tempore Chairman Hugh K. Leatherman Sr.
Leatherman, widely considered the most powerful man in state government, has served in the Senate since 1981 and has been chairman of the Senate Finance Committee since 2001.
Fowler told the Morning News on Friday he will not seek re-election to the treasurer’s seat this year in order challenge Leatherman in the June primaries.
“I’ve been considering it for over a year and a half and it seems like the right time,” Fowler said. “I’ve got over 40 county and state elected officials who say they’ll support me –auditors, treasurers, clerks of court from across the state. Countywide elected officials need somebody in ... (the legislature) that knows the law. That’s what’s pitting the local elected people against county councils and everywhere else, is the laws are so poorly written.”
Skipper could not be reached for comment on Friday, but Fowler and other sources within the Florence County GOP confirmed that Skipper is likely to announce his bid soon.
Fowler added that Skipper’s imminent decision to run for the Senate seat came as a surprise to him because of their frequent communication last year when he first confided in Skipper his intention to unseat Leatherman.
“[His decision] doesn’t make any sense. I started confiding in him over a year ago that I was going to run for this instead of treasurer. He told me ‘we need people like you up there’ and encouraged me to do it,” Fowler said. “Anyway, that’s not going to deter me. I’m going to follow through.”
Leatherman said until Fowler and Skipper file as candidates in March, their intentions are mere speculation.
“I’ve been in the Senate for 36 years and rumors always come up. We don’t pay much attention to these types of rumors until they materialize,” Leatherman said. “It’s easy to say you’re going to do something, but to put your name on the dotted line is a big difference.”
Leatherman made clear, however, that the people of Florence County have put their faith in him for the past 36 years and he has no intention of giving up his seat.
“This is the people’s decision, not my decision. The people know who I am and what I do for Florence,” Leatherman said. “I’ve represented them for the past 36 years in the Senate and it’ll be up to them to choose who they want to represent them in Columbia.”
Local Reaction
Two state representatives from Florence weighed in on the potential race against Leatherman:
“From the perspective of voters in Florence, with Leatherman being the most powerful man in the state and me being on Ways and Means, we are well positioned to improve Florence and the entire Pee Dee region,” said District 60 Rep. Phillip Lowe. “That opportunity may never come again.”
“It’s honestly too early to tell,” said District 63 Rep. Jay Jordan. “Neither Richard or Dean has formally announced so it’s almost impossible to say how the community feels. Name ID has become a major part of the process so that could certainly be in the mix. [Leatherman] been around a long time and he certainly knows what he’s doing.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Florence County GOP chairman, treasurer to run against Leatherman."