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South Carolina: Inglis faces trouble on his right

June 15, 2009 — US Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) represents South Carolina’s 4^th District (Greenville, Spartanburg, Laurens & Union Counties). Greenville and Spartanburg are prosperous centers of light industry and have large, active business communities. The district is also home to long-established fundamentalist Christian communities, including the well-known Bob Jones University. With two strong right-of-center bases, the district has been a Republican stronghold for decades, although the alliance has not always been a peaceful one.

Inglis, 49, held this seat for three terms, then stepped down to run a losing race against then-US Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-SC). Later, when Jim DeMint (R-SC) left the seat vacant to run for the Senate, Inglis reclaimed the seat, which he has now held for three more terms.

Republicans on the right have been becoming more and more critical of Inglis for moving to the moderate wing of his party. In 1994, at the end of his first term in Congress, the National Journal rated him 80% conservative, 8% liberal. In 2006, they rated him 58% conservative, 42% liberal. Probably his most controversial vote was in opposition to the troop surge in Iraq during the Bush Administration; he was one of only 17 Republicans to vote against it. But he’s also gotten in hot water for a committee vote against a measure designed to protect “under God” in the pledge allegiance to the flag, for opposing the federal government’s surveillance-without-a-warrant national security program, for taking global warming seriously, and for opposing offshore drilling for oil.

“He’s not the Bob we elected” is a frequently heard complaint against Inglis. However, notes a veteran Greenville political operative (R), “some people like that,” pointing out that Inglis’s broader concerns, such as the environment, appeal to many in this prosperous, mostly urban (small cities) area. For one thing, both Greenville and Spartanburg are home to large numbers of voters who have moved to this area from elsewhere in the country, and while they are Republicans, are not as conservative as many South Carolina natives.

Much of the opposition to Inglis is centered in the “TEA (taxed enough already?) Party” movement, which is very active in the district, drawing large crowds at their rallies earlier this year.  “They are very vocal and pretty angry,” notes this GOP source, who adds, “They are motivated to vote.”

Inglis’s move to the middle has enticed at least five conservative Republicans to enter the 2010 primary against him.

State Sen. David Thomas (R) is “a strong vote-getter in Greenville County,” says a longtime observer (independent) of the district’s politics. Thomas has represented Greenville County, the largest county in the district, in the state Senate for seven terms and is well-known. He had been a long-time friend and supporter of Inglis, but now differs with him on issues.

Solicitor (prosecutor) Trey Gowdy, says an independent source, is “very popular” in Spartanburg, which hasn’t had a resident in the congressional seat since 1992, when Inglis defeated then-incumbent Liz Patterson (D). However, Gowdy has not had to run a serious campaign in some years.

Andrew Smart is a successful businessman (Duke’s Sandwich Shop chain) who is well-connected in the Greenville business community. He reportedly can self-fund his campaign, which would be a considerable advantage in this time when campaign funds, like money in general, are harder to come by.

Christina Jeffery, a Wofford College history professor who was fired from the post of congressional historian because of past controversial statements, later ran for the US Senate in Georgia and several local offices in South Carolina, but has always lost.

Jim Lee, a businessman and Air Force veteran and reservist, has also announced. He is not well-known.

In addition, ex-Greenville County GOP chairman Steven Brown may or may not enter the race.

So how secure is Inglis in next year’s primary? For starters, it’s too soon to say. “The people who are paying attention to the race in June 2009 are a very, very slim part of the electorate,” notes the GOP professional. “He’s the incumbent and you’ve got to put him up at the top,” says the veteran observer, who also notes that Inglis has “a good strong campaign infrastructure.” But a second GOP professional says Inglis “is definitely in a tight spot,” adding that he “appears to be running a General Election campaign in a primary,” which can be risky.

“The Anybody-But-Inglis crowd will be spread all over the lot,” says the longtime observer, adding, “Can these guys force a runoff?”  “To unseat an incumbent, it’s better to have only one challenger,” notes the Republican political operative, who adds that “I’m not sure whether or not most of the group will have the financial resources to make themselves acceptable” to the electorate at large.

Inglis has not been in the habit of raising large campaign war chests, in part because he hasn’t needed them. He raised only $37,000 in the 1^st Quarter and as of March 31, had $131,000 on hand, far from enough to stave off challengers and not an auspicious beginning for a hotly contested congressional race.

“It will be a barn-burner,” concludes the second GOP professional.