With a ‘newer, younger, smarter’ slate of candidates, SC Democrats hopeful for future
As Adair Ford Boroughs gave her stump speech to the roughly 300 people who attended a Saturday conference in Greenville hosted by the Democratic Party, many held signs with her name on them and cheered as though at a pep rally.
“South Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District is not the district Joe Wilson’s friends drew for him nearly a decade ago. People move, things change,” Boroughs, of Forest Acres, told the crowd.
A former Department of Justice attorney who grew up in rural Williston, Boroughs has given S.C. Democrats hope for competing with Wilson, the long-time Republican representative of the conservative Midlands district.
“I would love to see her in a debate with Joe Wilson,” former S.C. Democratic Party vice-chair Kaye Koonce said. “I think women like that are really making a difference in South Carolina and in the more progressive movement across the state.”
Boroughs wasn’t the only S.C. Democratic candidate giving promise to the party faithful, who had gathered Saturday for the party’s signature Spratt Issues Conference, named after former U.S. Rep. John Spratt, a revered York Democrat who served the state in Congress for nearly 30 years until his defeat in 2010 by Republican Mick Mulvaney.
The crowd also heard from Jaime Harrison, a former state party chairman, and Gloria Tinubu, a former U.S. House candidate and economist from Georgetown. The two are running for the chance to compete with GOP U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of Senec
“South Carolina is a great state with amazing people, but we have awful leadership,” Harrison said to the crowd, which greeted him with a loud ovation. “The leadership is not worthy of the people of this great state,” he said.
Monica Smith, 49, of Columbia, who said she has been involved in Democratic politics her whole life, said she was excited about Harrison’s candidacy.
“He seems like he’s committed to what’s best for the people,” Smith said. “I’ve watched the things he’s done.”
The crowd also heard from two presidential candidates, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, and congressional candidate Kim Nelson, a health care professional in Greer who is seeking the 4th Congressional District seat.
Building the Democratic bench
Spirits were high Saturday as the state’s Democratic activists touted some recent successes for the party, including Joe Cunningham winning in the 1st Congressional District in 2018, and Democrats winning control over the Greenville City Council this year.
Harrison, of Columbia, also has raised hope for Democrats. Drawing on his national connections and ties with the Democratic National Committee, he’s shown he can raise a lot of cash. In the third quarter of this year alone, he raised a record $2.2 million. Whoever wins the nomination will face tough odds in Graham, who also has touted record-breaking fundraising and is extremely popular among Republicans.
Democrats Saturday said the party’s energy is showing up in some traditional Republican places.
Alan Sattler, 65, of Lancaster County, just got involved in Democratic politics after the 2016 election. He said in recent years the party in Lancaster County has seen its bank account grow from $300 to $2,500 and monthly meeting attendance grow from 15 people to 40 people.
“That says people are interested, they’re excited, they want to know what’s going on,” Sattler said.
Sattler also said coming to the event was an opportunity to meet candidates.
“I’ve heard this person before, I’ve seen their name in print somewhere,” Sattler said. “Now, I’m standing here talking to them. Basically it’s making me feel like I have some influence. I could talk to a candidate like Jaime Harrison, and tell him why I think the way I think and that becomes part of his consciousness.”
Tangee Brice Jacobs, who leads the state Democrats’ rural caucus, said there is energy, but there is still work to be done with getting young people involved and active in the party.
“We have to get them fired up, we have to get them to the polls, and hear what they’re saying,” Jacobs said. “The Democratic party (has) got to hear what our young people are saying and the issues that are important to them.”
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson said there has always been energy, but this year the energy is different.
“I think the difference between previous years and now is we learned from 2016, and that is we’re not going to let a family fight of a primary get in the way of the ultimate goal, which is to defeat Donald Trump, take back the S.C. State Senate, and win legislative seats and congressional races across the board,” Robertson said.
He also cited the candidacies of Harrison, Boroughs, and Nelson as the future of the party.
“At the end of the day you’re seeing a newer, younger, smarter group of individuals in the Democratic Party deciding to take the plunge to run for office,” Robertson said.
