Thursday, June 12, 2014

Sen. Tim Scott wins Special Republican primary in South Carolina with 96,925 more votes than Lindsey Graham on same day. Sen. Scott will run in Nov. to finish 2 yrs. of his Senate term-AP

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"2014 South Carolina Special Senate Primaries Results," Sen. Tim Scott wins 90% of all votes, 275,018, and proceeds to November
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6/11/14, "Scott's GOP victory sets up historic SC election," AP, by Meg Kinnard, Columbia

"Having handily beaten his GOP challenger, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott is now poised to focus on his general election campaign, one that will likely make history.

Should he win his November contest, as is expected, Scott would become the first black senator ever elected in South Carolina’s history.

He would also be the state’s first black candidate elected in any statewide contest since Reconstruction.

Scott had just been elected to a second U.S. House term when Gov. Nikki Haley appointed him in 2012 after Jim DeMint resigned. When he took office in early 2013, Scott became the Senate’s only black member and the first black senator ever from South Carolina. This November’s election is for the two years that remain in DeMint’s term.

Scott has repeatedly downplayed the significance, if any, of his race, a theme he reiterated at a victory rally Tuesday night in North Charleston.

“What voters are looking for today are people who represent their values and not their pigmentation and complexion,” Scott said. 

“My goal is not to focus on my face or anyone’s race, but focus on the issues that are going to resonate in my heart and with South Carolinians.”

Scott has been vocal about reforming health care for veterans, traveling across the state last week to hear concerns in the wake of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki’s resignation.

He also advocates streamlining federal job-training programs and supports a Savannah River Site nuclear fuel facility that the Obama administration has said it wants to shutter.... 

Scott’s singular candidacy aside, the November election itself has historic implications. Scott’s Democratic challenger, Richland County Council member Joyce Dickerson, is also black. That means the general election will mark South Carolina’s first-ever U.S. Senate contest between two black major-party candidates. They’ll face American Party candidate Jill Bossi, who is white.

Gibbs Knotts, a political scientist at the College of Charleston, said Scott could be positioned to play a role in changing the way voters view the Republican Party.

“Tim Scott has an opportunity to try to change some of the dynamics in American politics and make the Republican Party a party that reaches out to African-Americans and potentially becomes more attractive to African-Americans,” Knotts said....

About 28 percent of South Carolina voters are black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and 68 percent are white. But, Knotts said, Scott will need to address issues that appeal to black voters if he wants to pick off those who traditionally choose Democratic candidates.

Some black voters may align with the GOP on social issues like gay rights and abortion rights, though they may lean Democratic on welfare programs and economic issues....

Still, Scott remains a favorite to win in this heavily Republican state.

Dickerson did not respond to messages Wednesday, but she has previously said she’d mount a serious campaign against Scott, although her fundraising ability has yet to be seen.

As of late May, federal filings showed the Democrat with less than $6,000 cash on hand. Scott had nearly $3.9 million on hand, and the incumbent has aired television ads in heavy rotation, focusing on his ability to connect with “everyday people.”" via Mark Levin show
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Image: "Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., addresses supporters in North Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, June 10, 2014, after winning the GOP primary. Scott won the nomination with about 90 percent of the vote and now faces a black Democrat in November. The race is expected to give the state its first elected black U.S. senator in history. Scott was appointed to his seat by Gov. Nikki Haley. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)"

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Lindsey Graham received 178,093 votes, 56.4% of votes, in his regular South Carolina Republican Senate primary also held 6/10/14. Tim Scott received 96,925 more votes than Lindsey Graham did on the same day.

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