Indigo Journal

Dwight Drake drops out of SC Governor's race

Posted on 05. Mar, 2010 by Jennifer Read in Election 2010

Today Democrat Dwight Drake abruptly ended his gubernatorial bid, citing fundraising difficulties.

“Today I am announcing that I am withdrawing from the campaign for South Carolina Governor,” Drake said in a statement.

“I got into this race because I believed that South Carolina’s families deserved much more than they were getting from their Governor.  We are facing the toughest times in a generation, and we can only take that on with dedicated, experienced leadership that is focused on putting our people back to work and building a better future for our kids.  I have ambitious ideas for getting our state back on track, and I have the knowledge and experience to put those ideas into action.

“But a statewide campaign for office is not just about these things.  It also requires resources – campaign dollars to run in a competitive primary and in a competitive general election.

“I am deeply grateful for – and humbled by – the support I have received from my fellow South Carolinians in the seven months since I began my campaign.  As I have put pen to paper in recent days, it’s become clear to me that I am not going to be able to marshal the resources needed to run the competitive, substantive campaign that I set out to run.”

The Columbia attorney and lobbyist’s departure from the race essentially leaves the Democratic gubernatorial contest a head-to-head match up between State Superintendent Jim Rex and State Senator Vincent Sheheen (D-Camden). State Senator Robert Ford (D-Charleston) is also running, though he currently lacks the statewide name recognition Rex enjoys or the financial resources of Sheheen, who is currently leading the money race on the Dem side.

The three remaining candidates will face off in the Democratic Primary on June 8.