Some SC Labor Party members didn’t want a nominee for governor. Why they’re getting one
Gary Votour, who left the Democratic Party contest over a policy disagreement, can appear on the November ballot as the Labor Party’s nominee despite leadership disagreement.
The State Election Commission made their decision Thursday even though a state Labor Party co-chair tried to keep Votour off the ballot as the party’s nominee for governor. The election commission’s decision came after the S.C.Labor Party formally certified him by unanimous vote Saturday at the party’s convention.
The commission also will let Lucus Faulk, the Labor Party nominee in the 1st Congressional District, to stay on the ballot.
Both were certified by another Labor Party co-chair with the State Election Commission well before the Aug. 15 deadline as required under state law.
“Unless directed to do otherwise by some competent authority, we are required to place the names of the certified candidates on the Nov. 8, 2022 General Election ballot,” Chris Whitmire, the deputy executive director of the state election commission wrote in an email to Labor Party officials.
The election commission also said it would not weigh in on the intraparty dispute.
Votour previously sought the Democratic nomination, but decided to switch parties in January after Democrats allowed Joe Cunningham to run for the nomination despite his lack of support for a $15 an hour minimum wage, which something the party’s platform calls for.
Votour said Thursday he would have dropped out of the race altogether had state Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Richland, won the nomination over Cunningham.
In his dispute of the Labor Party’s decision, party Co-Chairman Willie Legette said the Saturday convention was improperly held, and said having a third party candidate in today’s political environment would only help Republicas.
“The conditions and circumstances during any general election matters, and given where the state is in the country today with the rise of authoritarianism, the extreme right wing, we think we should not do anything that would hamper the possibility of Democratic victories in 2022 and 2024,” Legette said before state commission made its decision.
Legette said he plans to meet soon with the party’s executive committee to chart next steps.
“We’re disappointed in the decision,” Legette said. “We certainly think they (other Labor Party members) violated the law in not following the policies of the Labor Party.”
Labor Party Co-Chairwoman Donna Dewitt said the party was within its rights to hold a nominating convention when party members, including those from the executive committee, reconvened a convention from 2020.
She said Votour and Faulk also both embraced the party’s platform, showing support for expanding Medicaid and “Medicare for All.”
“The fact that we had candidates file gives you the opportunity ... to reconvene the organization to have a nominating convention for your candidates,” Dewitt said.
Unlike Legette, Dewitt said she wasn’t worried about a third party candidate on the ballot, saying those candidates historically don’t garner enough support to make a difference in the race’s ultimate result.
