Special Interest Attack Groups
A couple months ago I wrote an op-ed detailing the special interests and attack groups that will be playing in the upcoming election. It looks like those groups are already attacking those of us who do not cave to their demands. Here is an interesting article that ran yesterday in the Spartanburg Herald Journal:
Groups seek to shape Legislature
Some say tactics used are ‘inherently unfair’
By Jason Spencer & Robert W. Dalton
Published: Sunday, March 23, 2008
In the year and a half that he’s been in the state House, Rep. Keith Kelly has missed one day of work.
It was a Thursday – April 26, 2007 to be exact – and Kelly, R-Woodruff, remembers it vividly. It was the day his wife had a biopsy to determine whether she had breast cancer.
Things went well and Kelly’s wife is fine. But somebody out there wants Kelly to pay for taking the day off to be by her side.
An anonymous group or individual recently paid for a poll in which voters in Kelly’s district were told that their representative was not attending sessions and was not voting. Such polls where an opinion survey is aimed at influencing someone’s perception of a candidate are known as push polls.
“Push polls themselves are just inherently unfair,” Kelly said. “They call an unsuspecting constituent and tell them a half-truth, but the constituent doesn’t know that.”
No one has claimed responsibility for the calls targeting Kelly, but he has a short list of suspects: S.C. Club for Growth, South Carolinians for Responsible Government, ReformSC and Conservatives in Action – four groups that want to take the state on a hard right turn. They are eating their own in an effort to create a Legislature in their image, Kelly said.
The calls are just one example of the forces at work across the state trying to affect legislative races in Spartanburg County. Most voters will never meet the would-be puppet masters, but they’ll likely get a phone call or two because of them, or a piece of mail.
The collective agenda of the above-named advocacy groups includes school choice – specifically vouchers – strengthening the powers of the governor, shrinking government and capping state spending.
Sound familiar? It is a mantra Gov. Mark Sanford has repeated for years.
Throw in a handful of political consultants, a fractured Republican party, a healthy mix of bloggers, state campaign laws that protect many politically active groups from disclosing their donors, and a rumored legislative “hit list” floating around Columbia, and bring to a boil.
Political consultant Robert Cahaly, who has offices in Columbia and Greenville, says there are “as many people recruiting candidates, and as many agendas, as you can count.”
For as long as there have been elected offices, people and groups have tried to influence those offices to gain the outcome they prefer. And speaking out on a behalf of a candidate or issue is freedom of political speech.
But some question their methods.
“There are some groups out there that believe if you are not for them, you’re against them, and they will drag your name through the mud,” said political consultant Terry Sullivan with First Tuesday Strategies. “That’s all it is: attack, attack, attack. We saw it last cycle, and everybody’s expecting it this cycle. These third-party groups are spreading like a rash.”
Making headlines
One of the groups likely to make headlines this election cycle is the S.C. Club for Growth, which is actively recruiting candidates.
“We’re taking a good hard look for every single candidate out there,” executive director Matt Moore said. “We’re not cold-calling just random people out there. If people express an interest in a race and they want information on restructuring and good-government kinds of issues, we’re certainly willing to listen and see if they align with our policies.”
Club members often cite the 13 incumbent Republican legislators who are not seeking re-election – Rep. Joe Mahaffey, R-Lyman, for instance – as proof that Columbia’s “old guard” is faltering.
“It’s a good time to have new ideas,” Moore said. “A lot of these people – I’m not going to say have seen the writing on the wall, that’s kind of strong language – but they’ve certainly realized it’s time to give some of these new ideas a chance.”
Two of the club’s nine directors are from Spartanburg – former Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman Fred Dent and Tindall Corp. chief executive Bill Lowndes.
But later this month, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint will headline a $200-a-head fundraiser for Rep. Scott Talley, who is giving up a House seat to run for the state Senate. DeMint is one of only three senators who received a perfect score for his legislative performance in 2006 from the national Club for Growth. Yet he’s supporting the man running against someone the state club has gotten behind – Lee Bright.
The state club hasn’t officially endorsed any challengers yet, but it has endorsed 17 incumbents. Expect its slate of challengers – for open seats, or for sitting legislators – to be named soon.
“We’ve got a sitting governor who’s been elected to two terms, most recently with a good percentage, who is pushing for some very responsible reforms, and these legislators from districts that overwhelmingly support him aren’t listening to their voters and are destroying the reforms that he’s pushing,” Moore said.
Talley wonders how he fits that description.
The club’s chairman is Chad Walldorf, a longtime Sanford ally. And Talley has a long history of voting with Sanford, especially on budget vetoes – so much so that Sanford labeled Talley one of his “taxpayer heroes.”
So why isn’t the S.C. Club for Growth in his corner?
“That’s a good question,” Talley said. “I think they are looking for someone who is … close-minded is not the word. But they want someone who agrees with them on every single issue and doesn’t have an independent thought about what is best for the people you are representing,” Talley said. “They want somebody who is going to do exactly what they say every step of the way.”
Bright, who lost to John Hawkins by 37 votes in the 2004 Republican primary, said he wasn’t recruited, but that he’s happy to have the support of the club and the other groups.
“A lot of things they wanted to see accomplished, I wanted to see accomplished,” Bright said. “I’ve been running for the last four years. After that loss, it didn’t take anyone to come and convince me to run.”
Anonymous attacks
At least two polls about Kelly have been conducted, and there have been at least one about Talley, at least one about Rep. Bob Walker and at least one about Sen. Jim Ritchie. No one is taking credit for them, but fingers are pointing in all directions.
“That is not what ReformSC is about,” spokeswoman Sally Williamson said. “I’m sure there are people out there saying that, but that is not the case. And it wouldn’t be allowed. You’ll see more educational efforts from ReformSC.”
Because of its tax status, ReformSC cannot legally back any candidate. But it can spend money on mailers or television advertisements to “educate” voters about their view of an issue.
Consultant Cahaly, who runs Bonnie Blue Public Relations, said he has “not conducted nor paid for a single poll in Spartanburg in the last two years.”
Cahaly classified the polls going on now as “benchmark” polls – surveys to test a message, to see what would or would not work once campaign season gets in full swing. In other words, a poll asking questions about Kelly’s attendance and voting record is attempting to gauge whether that would be the incumbent’s Achilles’ heel.
“If that is inaccurate, then hurray for Keith Kelly,” Cahaly said. “Because if someone decides to run against him, he can slam them.”
Paul Manly, an officer in the county Republican Party, says at least two candidates are being courted to challenge Kelly. One will run, and the other will support the one who does, Manly said.
Manly declined to name the potential candidates, but Chris Stone’s name was mentioned in at least one of the polls attacking Kelly. Stone, a developer, made an unsuccessful bid against Kelly two years ago. Stone said he is thinking about running.
Part of the drive behind the effort is frustration with attorneys who become legislators, Manly said.
Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairman Rick Beltram said the polls and the anti-lawyer sentiment are causing more people to think about running. Filing for state or local office closes at noon March 30.
“It’s all over the place,” Beltram said. “What’s happening is somebody in one part of the county gets a call, and then talks to their cousin in the other end of the county and says, ‘Did you know lawyers were no good?’ And now I’ve got people showing up on my doorstep who are just now considering if they want to run for something.”
Along with the S.C. Club for Growth, groups like SCRG, Conservatives in Action, ReformSC and others have spent weeks, if not months, interviewing candidates and potential candidates about their positions.
“I would categorize it as recruiting,” Beltram said. “A variety of groups are interviewing candidates, recruiting to fill holes, and, if they’re not comfortable with an incumbent, looking for an alternate who fits their version of the Republican mold. That’s exactly what’s happening, whether they want to tell you that or not.”
When it comes to who is funding these groups, the waters are murky – and the groups want to keep it that way.
A bill pending in the state Senate would require “political awareness organizations” to disclose their financial donors. It is specifically aimed at these groups; they oppose the bill.
Beltram said those being recruited to run against incumbents should proceed with caution.
“In conversations I’ve had with a number of potential candidates, they appear to have been promised that if they run against incumbents, they will be given a lot of ground support and money,” Beltram said. “But in my due diligence, I have found that most of that is just smoke and mirrors.”
Group auditions
Earlier this month, several candidates were invited to Columbia for interviews by the reform groups and representatives of the Palmetto Family Council, the state Chamber of Commerce, the state Realtors Association and the S.C. Business & Industry Political Education Committee.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that we regularly meet with people that are running and are interested in public service,” said Randy Page, president of SCRG. “It’s a convenience thing, so we can ask questions on a plethora of issues. Just because they’re in front of us doesn’t mean they agree with us on everything. I don’t even think I agree with my wife on everything.”
Otis Rawl, the chief operating officer and vice president for public policy at the state chamber, said that all of the groups involved were concerned about similar issues, but not necessarily aligned. The chamber has supported candidates financially in the past, but Rawl says that this year, the organization likely will issue endorsements.
As for the interviews, “This is not that abnormal,” Rawl said. “There’s a lot of accountability there, because you’ve got so many interests, you’ve got to be on your p’s and q’s. Because if they were interviewed individually, they could give a different answer to one group than they would another.”
Thomas DeLoach, president of the Business & Industry Political Education Committee, said Joey Millwood, sports editor of the Tryon (N.C.) Daily Bulletin, was among the potential candidates he met with. Millwood, who might be considering a run against Walker, declined to comment.
Ken Roach, an insurance agent who is running against fellow Republican Mike Forrester for the House seat Talley is giving up, also was one of the candidates interviewed this month.
“It was real laid-back, and I just introduced myself and told them the reasons I was running for office, and they just started an open-ended discussion,” Roach said.
Economic development, government spending, school choice and – one of Roach’s big issues – health insurance affordability were among the topics covered. Roach said that even if one or all of the groups support his candidacy and he wins office, he would make decisions based on the best information he has, not on their agenda.
“It would not be an obligation,” Roach said. “Would it be likely that my issues line up with the Club for Growth in wanting to grow Spartanburg or South Carolina? There’s a good likelihood. But I’m not going to feel obligated, no.”
But no one can predict how groups will react if an official bites the hand that feeds their campaign. Two years ago, when Kelly first ran for office, SCRG sent out about 10,000 mailers urging people to call Kelly and “thank him for helping solve the illegal immigration problem when others wouldn’t.”
But last year, when Kelly supported Appeals Court Judge Don Beatty’s ascent to the state Supreme Court, that same group, along with Greenville-based Conservatives in Action, produced television ads attacking him for supporting Beatty.
“This was an open seat and they didn’t know which way it was going, so they sent me some money,” Kelly said. “But I don’t vote with them, and they got upset because they couldn’t buy me. As far as I’m concerned, these millionaires can send me money and I’ll put it to work, but I’ll put it to work for the people of District 35 and the state.”
Last chance
This election cycle marks the last chance for Sanford and groups who support his agenda to get enough legislators in the Statehouse to act on it. Perhaps that is why third-party interest in campaigns seems to be at such a higher level this year.
Page, with SCRG, doesn’t see it that way.
“The reform agenda is bigger than any one person,” he said. “It’s bigger than me. It’s bigger than Mark Sanford. It’s bigger than anyone involved. … Any fundamental change, any true reform takes time. Whether it’s over two years or over 10 years, you slowly start to see those reforms take place.”
And not everyone engaged in South Carolina politics buys into all the attention that’s been given to the reform groups this year.
“Look at the number of open seats. They’re huge. So, if I’m an outside group, where am I going to put my resources? An open seat,” said B.J. Boling, vice president of Starboard Communications. “I’m not going to spend my resources trying to defeat an incumbent. So, I don’t know if I buy into the recruitment idea.”
Kelly said anybody who doesn’t buy it only needs to talk to one of his constituents who has picked up their telephone and been greeted by a pollster. He knows there is recruiting going on, and says the state will be in trouble if the groups are successful in getting their chosen candidates in office.
“They’re trying to get a bloc of legislators that they control, period,” Kelly said. “Then it won’t matter what the issue is, it won’t matter whether it’s good for the district or the state. It will truly be money talks at that point. They don’t care one flip about this state.”
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