The self-proclaimed underdog in the Democratic race for S.C. governor pledges not to run the same “dull and boring, Republican-like campaign” that he says Democrats always run. “And they lose.”
The underdog’s big obstacle? A state lawmaker and combat veteran who is the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic nomination. He says he wants to transcend political divisiveness and unify the state: “rural, urban, Democrats and Republicans.”
The two candidates – Charleston business consultant Phil Noble and state Rep. James Smith of Columbia – addressed their party’s most loyal members Friday night at a S.C. Democratic Party gathering in Columbia to kick off their conference weekend.
Speaking briefly during the dinner, both Smith and James harped on a need to root out corruption at the State House.
“I see a South Carolina like she can be and I ask, ‘Why not?’” Smith said, adding, “We all know why. Because we've had leaders serving themselves and not South Carolina.”
Noble said he would lead by example, rejecting money from influential political action committees: “If there's a candidate, Democrat or Republican, who stands up before you and says, ‘I'm concerned about corruption,’ ask him a question, or ask him two: ‘Are you going to take PAC money, or are you going to give it back?’”
Fighting for a prize that has eluded Democrats for two decades – Jim Hodges was the last Democrat to be elected governor, in 1998 – Smith and Noble are laying out different strategies.
Smith, 50, says South Carolinians “want leaders that will rise above the petty politics that are holding us back and focus on the issues that matter and make a difference in our state.
“We need a governor who can bring this state together,” Smith said, adding such a leader will get the entire state involved regardless of place or party.
Noble, 66, says the state’s Democratic candidates for governor lose because they take the same approach in every campaign – a trend he hopes to break.
“The State House guys get together, they pick one of their own – perfectly nice guy, everybody likes him, good legislative record – and then they run a campaign with no bold ideas ... a ‘Me, Too’ Republican-lite (campaign) and then they get beat.”
No PAC money
One way Noble says he is unique is in his pledge to reject money from political action committees that allow companies, advocacy groups, trade associations and others to influence the outcome of elections.
Ending PAC contributions is a first step in getting special interest money out of politics, said the former president of the S.C. New Democrats and a failed 1994 lieutenant governor hopeful.
“At the end of the day, I would say nobody should be able to give anybody any money unless they can vote for them,” Noble said.
That standard would bar out-of-state and business contributions, both now legal.
“That ain’t gonna happen,” Noble conceded. “We’re miles away from that. But, as a first step, we need to get away from PACs.”
The political committees allow lobbyists to tell a lawmaker, “We want you to do X, Y, Z for us, and then the PAC money shows up,” Noble said.
Asked whether he, too, will reject contributions from political action committees, Smith did not jump on board with the idea.
“I’m not running against Phil Noble. I’m running for South Carolina. He has his ideas on how to lead the state forward, and I have mine,” Smith said, adding he has “a record to stand on. I certainly stand by my service the last several years and can respond to any question about any donations I’ve received.”
‘Outsider’ or ‘change agent’?
First elected to the S.C. House of Representatives in 1996, Smith has long been on the short list of Democratic Party favorites for governor. The Columbia attorney says taxes, health care and education are his top priorities.
As part of his tax reform proposals, Smith said he wants to create a statewide property tax rate to pay for public education. That would ensure that businesses and owners of second homes in impoverished areas do not shoulder higher tax burdens than elsewhere in the state, as they do now, he said.
An Afghanistan War combat veteran and member of the S.C. Army National Guard, Smith also said he wants to cut the tax bills of military veterans by eliminating the state income tax on their retirement pay.
Veterans “are a powerful workforce and a huge impact on the communities that they become a part of,” said Smith, whose military experience could help him pick up support from moderate Republicans in the pro-military Palmetto State.
Running on an anti-corruption message, Noble said state government can’t fix anything – roads, education or an ongoing nuclear plant fiasco – until new lawmakers, who are not part of the establishment that oversaw those problems, are elected.
Noble said his candidacy gives Democratic voters a choice between an outsider, himself, or someone who is part of the system, Smith.
“James is a good guy. Everybody likes James. The last thing I want is for this thing to be personal,” he said.
“It’s about the system. And James is a part of the system, (has) been a part of the system for 20 years, and, I would argue, has not effectively tackled or changed or challenged the system in the most fundamental areas.”
Noble said those areas include an ongoing State House corruption investigation and the lax regulation of power companies that allowed Cayce-based SCANA and state-owned Santee Cooper to charge their customers more than $2 billion for a now-abandoned nuclear power project.
In response, Smith’s spokesman said, “James Smith is a proven leader, exemplified by his service to his country, state and nation. I would point you to (S.C.) Gov. (Dick) Riley’s endorsement of James, when he said, ‘James is the change agent we need.’ ”
Healthy competition
Neither Noble nor Smith have released details about their fundraising efforts. The next campaign finance reports are due in January.
However, Smith said fundraising has been going well. He has events in Charleston on Wednesday night, more fundraisers coming next week and more offers to host events than the campaign has time to attend.
Smith said he looks forward to speaking about “a shared vision for South Carolina’s future,” he said. “We have this belief, and I know, that we have not realized our potential. Our best days are ahead of us.”
Smith also is shoring up his support among the state’s most well-known Democrats. He has won the endorsements of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, and former Democratic S.C. Govs. Dick Riley and Hodges, among others.
Noble said he expects Smith to raise and spend the most money in the campaign. But he hopes to give voters something different from what they have gotten in past Democratic candidates.
“I’m not dull, I hope, or boring, I hope. I’m not State House. I’m not lining up all the traditional endorsements, and I’m not getting all the traditional money,” Noble said. “I am going to run a different campaign.”
The competition will be good for the S.C. Democratic Party, said state Chair Trav Robertson.
The campaign to win the party’s June primary will rally activists and ensure the media pays attention to the Democratic debate while the crowded Republican field battles it out.
“It levels the playing field” for the state’s minority party, he said.
Jamie Self: 803-771-8658, @jamiemself
This story was originally published December 08, 2017 2:49 PM.