The days are dwindling
down until the primaries in that special election for the South Carolina House
District One seat.
The first district covers five
counties, including parts of Beaufort, and that's evident by all the campaign
signs dotting the highways. But in these
past few weeks, some candidates are getting creative about getting their name
out there.
"I'm sorry for all
the mistakes I've made. Sugah, just give me one more chance," an actor says in
one of Teddy Turner's TV ads.
It's a romantic setting to
deliver a political message. And it's a
route Teddy Turner is taking in this race-- and despite accusations it's
directed toward former Governor Mark Sanford's transgressions, Turner says it's
really a particular group he's up against.
"This is a little
love for everybody," Turner said. "I'm
not attacking Mark Sanford. I'm attacking all career politicians for telling
you one thing and doing another. They tell you they're cutting budgets, they're
cutting taxes, and they're not. Budgets keep going up, taxes keep going up.
These guys don't know whether they're coming or going," Turner claims.
But speaking of budgets--
19 dollars a pop is too much for a campaign sign, the former governor believes.
So he's taking his frugal reputation to the streets, making his message a
do-it-yourself project-- with a little help from his friends.
"What you see is what
you get," Sanford's campaign manager Joel Sawyer said. "They're plywood sheeting with black spray
paint. The sheeting is about seven dollars a piece, spray paint is about three
dollars a can."
Sawyer said he doesn't
have to factor in the cost of posts and ties because, you might have guessed, Sanford
saved those from previous campaigns.
Different ways of standing
out among the rest in a race that's got a long list of names to even remember.
Absentee voting for this
race is already underway at both Beaufort and Bluffton voters registration
offices. Hours are nine til four each
day. The special election is Tuesday, March
19th.
