S.C .state Sen. Knotts keeps seat in heated runoff

By SEANNA ADCOX
Associated Press Writer
Published: June 24, 2008

SPRINGDALE, S.C. (AP) _ A Republican state senator who’s known as a plainspoken bulldog won the fight of his political life Tuesday in a runoff that largely focused on his rocky relationship with Gov. Mark Sanford.

Sen. Jake Knotts, who has taken some pride in saying he’s Sanford’s No. 1 target this election season, won with 57.5 percent of the vote.

The West Columbia Republican, who considered an independent challenge to the governor two years ago, beat former Lexington County GOP Chairwoman Katrina Shealy, who characterized herself as Knotts’ antithesis.

“We smoked ‘em,” Knotts said. “It lets me know the people of my district love me as much as I love them.”

“Heck, the governor threw everything he had at me,” he continued. “He tried to hit me with everything he had. He brought all his thugs from everywhere he could find. Guess what? He didn’t win.”

A Sanford spokesman blamed the loss on Democrats coming out for Knotts in the GOP race. “We think Republican voters spoke loud and clear about putting Katrina Shealy in office, but Jake’s been voting with Democrats for years, and it’s no surprise a lot of them came out,” Joel Sawyer said.

When asked if he had any proof, he asked a reporter if she had any evidence to the contrary. About 1,000 more voters came out Tuesday than two weeks ago in those precincts. Residents who voted then could not switch parties. Knotts won by more than 1,850 votes.

That race was among 10 runoffs for the state Legislature, plus a contest to determine the Democratic nominee for a U.S. House seat. Paul Corden, a retired Spartanburg Technical College administrator, won the chance to challenge GOP Rep. Bob Inglis in November. He beat aerospace engineer Ted Christian with 68 percent of the vote.

But it was the Lexington County race that drew the most attention. So much that election officials’ biggest issue Tuesday was explaining to residents why they couldn’t vote in the Knotts-Shealy race, said Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire.

Election offices received thousands of calls from voters who lived in the wrong district in Lexington County, which is represented by four senators. Less than half the county was eligible to vote in the runoff, but voters demanded to know why their precinct was closed after all the media attention, Whitmore said.

The contest featured dueling ads by Sanford, who asked voters to back Shealy and oust his obstacle, and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, supporting the man who won his former seat. Knotts, a retired law enforcement officer, served nearly eight years in the House before winning the Senate seat in a 2002 special election. U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of Greenville, who served with Sanford in the U.S. House, also threw his support behind Shealy.

“They came out for me and made sure they elected a senator who’s not someone from New York or Greenville or Charleston,” Knotts said, referring to a wealthy backer of school voucher proposals, DeMint and Sanford. “It’s sending a message that the people of Lexington County will not be dictated to by outside money, no matter how much.”

Shealy did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment.

There is no Democrat running for the seat in November. The balance of power is not expected to shift in the Legislature, with the GOP controlling 60 percent in each chamber. But Sanford and groups that support his agenda have been working to put in their brand of Republican. Two weeks ago, Sanford’s former chief of staff, Tom Davis, ousted Sen. Catherine Ceips, the only female senator who sought re-election.

Some residents who voted for Knotts — called “senator for the people” by his Senate colleagues — said they liked his willingness to stand up to forces in Columbia and were critical of out-of-state funding that helped promote Shealy.

But Shealy supporters called Knotts a bully and said they wanted a change.

“It’s my way or the highway,” retiree George Reeder said about Knotts. He was among those who did not vote two weeks ago. “It’s time for someone who’s more moderate and less harsh.” He added that Sanford, whom he did not vote for in 2006, played no part in his decision.

Knotts came out ahead in the three-way primary two weeks ago, with 45 percent of the vote to Shealy’s 41 percent. But less than 500 votes separated the candidates. Runoffs are needed in South Carolina if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote.

Sanford did gain an ally in Spartanburg. GOP Rep. Scott Talley lost his bid for a Senate seat to Lee Bright, who won with 51 percent of the vote. The governor endorsed Bright, a trucking company owner, in TV ads. There is no Democrat running for the seat vacated by Sen. John Hawkins, who did not seek re-election.

In the other runoffs, Democratic Rep. Ken Kennedy held on to his Williamsburg County seat with 54 percent of the vote.

GOP Sen. Jim Ritchie of Spartanburg was handily beaten by challenger Shane Martin, who took 66 percent of the vote.

Democratic Rep. Curtis Brantley of Ridgeland defeated former Rep. Thayer Rivers for the second consecutive election, with a 56 percent margin.

Rep. Creighton Coleman, D-Winnsboro, won his bid for a Senate seat, defeating Leah Moody, the daughter of retiring Rep. Bessie Moody-Lawrence.