One race or two? SC House candidate accuses opponent of running for another job

One race for the S.C. State House is being complicated by another.

State Rep. Nathan Ballentine is running for an eighth term representing District 71 in northwestern Richland County and part of Lexington County. Ballentine faces a challenge from Todd Watlington and Britton Wolf in the Republican primary on Tuesday.

But Ballentine also has expressed interest in the state Senate seat once held by former Sen. John Courson, who resigned after pleading guilty to official misconduct charges in a long-running State House corruption probe.

A special election for Courson's Senate County seat will kick off shortly after Tuesday's primary race, which has at least one of Ballentine's opponents thinking the incumbent already may be looking ahead to another race.

"I challenge Rep. Ballentine to either drop out of the race now and prepare for a Senate run, or promise to serve the people of our district for a full term in the House if re-elected," Wolf, a high school lacrosse coach and former logistics supervisor, said in a news release Thursday.

Ballentine declined to comment on a potential Senate run when contacted Monday by The State, after Courson's resignation.

"The fact remains that I am in a primary election fight for the State House, and all of my focus and interests are on that race," Ballentine said. "Any speculation on the Senate seat will have to wait till a later date."

Ballentine repeated that stance Thursday in an email to The State but didn't respond when asked if he would rule out seeking the District 20 Senate seat.

"My opponent has been funded by thousands (of dollars) from out-of-state groups and he has plenty of time to sit back and play silly political games, but I don’t," Ballentine said. "That is why I’m focused 100 percent on this House seat right now."

If no candidate wins a majority of the vote in Tuesday's GOP primary, the top two finishers will go to a runoff on June 26. That contest falls in the middle of the filing period for the Senate special election, open from June 22 to June 30.

The vote to choose Courson's successor will be Nov. 6, the same day as the general election for the S.C. House. The winner of the House District 71 GOP primary won't face any opposition in the fall.

Duck call in the governor's race

Will SC duck hunters hear the latest call in the SC governor's race?

Phil Robertson, the star of the reality TV show Duck Dynasty, endorsed GOP contender John Warren on Thursday in a video posted to Warren's YouTube channel.

In the video, Robertson, founder of the Duck Commander duck-call brand, calls for support for Warren from "all you South Carolina duck hunters ... you beaver hunters, trappers, fishermen, and the ones that live by your Bibles.

"You better get some godly men in there," Robertson said, "men who are unafraid to take a stand on what's right, men who love God and who love you. That's John Warren."

Robertson is known for his socially conservative, religious views. He has endorsed other Republican candidates in the past, including President Donald Trump.

Warren welcomed the endorsement, calling Robertson a "man of strong Christian faith" and "an unyielding advocate for the unborn" and gun rights.

“Nobody speaks as clearly as Phil Robertson, and I'm excited to have his endorsement," Warren said in a statement.

SC gov ad wars

▪ With a heated race underway to force and make a June 26 runoff in the GOP primary for governor, Catherine Templeton's campaign struck at Warren, her main opponent for a runoff slot against Gov. Henry McMaster, on Tuesday with an ad that targeted Warren's views on abortion and gun control.

▪ Warren responded with an ad that pledged to ignore "desperate, last-minute attacks," while also mentioning he would "protect unborn life and our right to bear arms."

▪ On the Democratic side, Marguerite Willis launched an ad Wednesday to reiterate her reasons for running, saying, "I think the problems we have in this state are ones we could solve if we just get to them."

Endorsement tracker

▪ Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, and state Sens. Greg Gregory and Harvey Peeler, and state Reps. Steve Moss, Gary Clary, and Garry Smith endorsed Republican McMaster for governor

▪ VoteVets PAC, a "progressive veterans organization," endorsed Democrat James Smith for governor

▪ SC Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey and state Reps. Bill Hixon and Micah Caskey endorsed Republican Templeton for governor

This story was originally published June 8, 2018 at 7:06 PM with the headline "One race or two? SC House candidate accuses opponent of running for another job."