SC governor candidate tries to recall rogue 'massacre in Gaza' email

One campaign for governor of South Carolina had its messaging unexpectedly hijacked over Memorial Day weekend.

On Sunday, an email went out from Democrat Phil Noble's campaign email account denouncing an anti-Semitism measure in the S.C. Legislature.

With the subject line "The First Amendment Doesn't Have a 'Palestine Exception,' " the email blasted President Donald Trump's "disastrous move to relocate our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem" and the "massacre in Gaza."

The email went on to denounce a proposal to adopt new standards at S.C. universities for combating anti-Semitism on college campuses, saying its "main purpose is to curb pro-Palestinian activism."

It was signed "Phil Noble and Gloria Tinobu" — a misspelling of the name of Noble's running mate, Georgetown economist Gloria Tinubu — and concluded with a link to a Noble fundraising page.

Eight hours later, Noble sent out a follow-up on the "fake fundraising email," saying he was "truly sorry this happened."

"I immediately asked our web team to investigate, and soon learned that the email in question had been composed and sent by an outside contractor that I do not know and have never met, and that it was never reviewed or approved by anyone on my staff," Noble wrote in the email.

"(W)ith all due respect to the international community, this campaign is not about Israel or Gaza or the Palestinian Authority. It is also not about Angola or Brazil or North Korea or Latvia or any other country outside of our own."

The Charleston Democrat went on to refocus on his campaign promises to "smash the good-ole-boy cronyism and corruption in the South Carolina Statehouse." A Noble spokesperson declined to identify the contractor responsible for the message, but confirmed they were no longer handling the campaign's emails ahead of the June 12 primary.

The proposal in the S.C. legislature has been framed as a reaction to the increase in hate speech and even violent actions against Jews. However, the S.C. bill has been criticized by some student groups and free-speech advocates as a way to label Israel's political critics as anti-Semites.

Despite a favorable vote in the S.C. House last year, the bill looked unlikely to become law until it was added as a provision to the state's budget, which must pass by the end of the month. If approved in the budget, the new standards would apply only to S.C. colleges during the next budget year.

But Noble made clear that won't be a concern in his campaign messaging.

"(I)f you receive an email about anything else — Israel or Brazil or Larry or Curly or Moe — you can bet your last dollar, it's not from me," Noble's email concluded.

Alien abduction?

Upset about being left out of a 1st District Republican congressional debate, one candidate found an original way to keep himself in the spotlight.

Dmitri Cherny, the former Democratic candidate now running in the GOP primary, posted a video to his Instagram account Friday posing as the "chief of galactic police" on "the planet Zenon."

Using the name "Hajdut Terheqeze" and dressed in oversized goggles and a conehead, Cherny threatened to arrest "intergalactic criminal" Larry Kobrovsky, chairman of the Charleston County GOP, for breach of contract if Cherny were not allowed to take part in Friday's debate between U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford and state Rep. Katie Arrington.

Kobrovsky will face "swift justice on planet Zenon," the video warns.

"Our starship is now in orbit around Earth, and our landing crew is standing by," Cherny says over footage of the starship Enterprise from "Star Trek."

It is not the first time outer space has played into a Cherny campaign. When running as a Democrat for the 1st District seat in 2016, Cherny pledged to find a "Planet B" for humans to escape to if Earth became uninhabitable.

Cherny, who has a tattoo of "democratic socialist" U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, crossed over politically this year, launching a long-shot bid for the GOP nomination to be decided June 12.

SC gov ad wars continue

▪ James Smith's Democratic campaign for governor rolled out a new ad this week that links his military service in Afghanistan to a potential expansion of Medicaid in South Carolina.

While leaders in the Army take care of their soldiers, in "South Carolina, our political leaders are not taking care of our people," refusing to approve a $7 billion expansion of Medicaid that would give health coverage to 125,000 people, Smith says.

Smith's campaign told the Greenville News the commercial would air in a $100,000 ad buy statewide.

▪ Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has released a new ad highlighting his ties to President Donald Trump — namely their opposition to sanctuary cities and Planned Parenthood, and their shared endorsements by the NRA.

▪ Catherine Templeton launched two new commercials introducing her new running mate for lieutenant governor, Greenville solicitor Walt Wilkins, part of a "six-figure advertising buy" across the state.

In one, the duo promises to "end the culture of big government corruption in Columbia." The other jokes about the differences between "Lowcountry" Templeton and "Upstate" Wilkins.

She prefers vinegar-based barbecue. He's a "mustard guy."

Endorsement watch

• Henry McMaster was endorsed by LIFEPAC, the political action committee of S.C. Citizens for Life
• Catherine Templeton was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, and state Sen. Wes Climer, R-Rock Hill

This story was originally published June 1, 2018 at 7:08 PM with the headline "SC governor candidate tries to recall rogue 'massacre in Gaza' email."