Tea Partiers and outsiders triumph in SC primary elections

Nikki Haley won the Republican nomination for governor of South Carolina on Tuesday while other GOP candidates in the state won as "outsiders."

In two of the three Republican run-offs for open U.S. House districts, candidates who ran as conservative “outsiders” defeated opponents perceived as more moderate “establishment” Republicans. Rep. Bob Inglis was defeated for renomination in the 4th District after his votes and actions upset conservatives, and anti-spending conservative Tim Scott, an African-American, in the 1st District, defeated the son of GOP legend, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond.

Challenger Trey Gowdy rolled up 71% of the vote against six-termer Inglis and Scott won 74% of the vote against Paul Thurmond.

Only in the 3rd District were the results less than clear cut. Richard Cash, owner of a fleet of ice cream trucks and pro-life leader, led State Rep. Jeff Duncan in the initial primary. Last night, however, Duncan bounced back and apparently won the run-off with 51% of the vote. Where Cash was the outsider and favorite of cultural conservatives, Duncan nonetheless had good conservative credentials of his own. As a legislator, he had sponsored pro-gun measures and tough bills dealing with illegal immigration.

To no one’s surprise, 38-year-old State Rep. Haley won the gubernatorial runoff by a margin of nearly 2-to-1 over Rep. Gresham Barrett. In many ways, their contest was also symbolic of the trend in GOP primaries this year of “outsiders” overcoming “the establishment.” Haley, who had the least experience in office (and the smallest campaign kitty) of any of the four GOP hopefuls in the initial primary earlier this month, won last night through the backing of younger voters and the Tea Party movement. Barrett had the backing of the state Chamber of Commerce and much of the business community.

Primaries in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina kick off political season

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are on offense in scores of House and Senate races as persistent economic woes and lukewarm support for President Barack Obama continue to weaken Democrats’ hold on Congress.

The president and his party are determined to minimize the losses six months before the November elections. But Democrats privately acknowledge the economy and support for Obama must improve before then to avoid the defeats that could cost them control of the House and possibly the Senate.

Primaries in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina on Tuesday kick off an intense eight weeks of contested elections. There also are two special House elections to fill vacant Democratic-held seats in Pennsylvania and Hawaii. The outcome could be a clear indicator of the political mood.

“I need your help once more,” Obama says in a video message to backers, a plea that underscores the troubles for Democrats. “This year, the stakes are higher than ever,” the president adds, warning that Republicans would “undo all that we have accomplished.”

Although Obama isn’t on the ballot, a Democratic shellacking would be seen as a rebuke of the president’s first two years in office, much like 1994 was for President Bill Clinton when the GOP reclaimed the House and Senate.