South Carolina gubernatorial election, 2006

The 2006 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford was running for re-election against Democratic State Senator Tommy Moore and became only the third Republican governor in South Carolina to win a second term (Robert Kingston Scott and Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. were the others). Sanford started the campaign with a double-digit edge over Moore and he maintained that lead to election day. During the course of the campaign, Sanford's approval rating averaged in the mid fifties. [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollTrack.aspx?g=79bc576e-2f1d-4cec-a2b4-94aecce55b09]

Democratic Primary

Tommy Moore, a State Senator from western South Carolina, emerged with Florence Mayor Frank Willis as the major candidates in the Democratic primary election for governor. Rumors circulated that Superintendent of Education and former U.S. Senate candidate, Inez Tenenbaum, might enter the race, but she ultimately chose not to run for governor nor seek re-election to her position. Kenneth Holland, a former U.S. Representative from the 5th congressional district, briefly entered the race, but dropped out a month later after failing to raise enough financial contributions.

Moore and Willis traded barbs over campaign contributions made by Willis and his wife to prominent Republicans, including President George W. Bush and Senator Lindsay Graham. Attorney C. Dennis Aughtry, who entered the campaign at the eleventh hour, floated the idea of legalizing casinos statewide to raise money for public schools. Moore garnered more than 50% of the vote in the Democratic primary held on June 13 and thus avoided a runoff election.

ee also

*U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2006
*Governor of South Carolina
*List of Governors of South Carolina
*South Carolina gubernatorial elections
*South Carolina state elections, 2006

External links

* [http://www.sanfordforgovernor.com Mark Sanford Re-election Campaign Site] Inactive
* [http://www.lovelaceforgovernor.com Oscar Lovelace 2006 Gubernatorial Campaign Site]
* [http://www.willisforgovernor.com Frank Willis 2006 Gubernatorial Campaign Site]
* [http://www.tommymooreforgovernor.com Tommy Moore 2006 Gubernatorial Campaign Site]
* [http://www.aughtryforgovernor.com Dennis Aughtry 2006 Gubernatorial Campaign Site]
* [http://www.scvotes.org/statistics/election_returns 2006 South Carolina Contest Results for Governor]