No beef with dual party membership for SC Dems

The S.C. Democratic Party says it has no problem with three of its congressional candidates also representing other parties on the ballot.

U.S. Senate candidate Thomas Dixon of North Charleston, U.S. House 1st District candidate Dimitri Cherny of Charleston and U.S. House 2nd District candidate Arik Bjorn of Columbia all won the S.C. Democratic Party’s nomination for those seats.

Bjorn also accepted the S.C. Green Party’s nomination. Dixon and Cherny accepted the nomination of the Green Party and the S.C. Working Families Party, with Cherny saying, earlier this month, he identifies “mostly as a Green.”

At a Columbia rally for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein earlier this month, Cherny said there were “hardcore” members of both the Democratic and Green parties who were angered he had accepted the other party’s nomination.

But the S.C. Democratic Party has no issue with it, party spokesman Matthew Ellison said in a statement Thursday.

“The Democratic Party has long been a big tent party, so we are delighted that other parties are supporting and even sharing our nominees,” Ellison said. “South Carolinians of all political stripes are saying ‘enough is enough’ of Donald Trump and failed Republican policies and are realizing that only Democratic candidates can expand opportunity, ensure security and promote unity in South Carolina and across America.”

Sunday night candidate forum

Dixon and Cherny are hosting their own public forum at 5 p.m. Sunday at the International Longshoreman’s Association Hall in Charleston.

Dixon, running against U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston, and Cherny, who hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-Charleston, will present their campaign platforms for about 30 minutes before giving 90 minutes to the crowd for questions and comments.

This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "No beef with dual party membership for SC Dems."