Ketner Decides Not to Run

by: wjhamilton 29464

Wed Jan 13, 2010 at 12:29:10 PM EST

Her email reads:

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I am deeply appreciative of all the encouragement I’ve received from hundreds of you since Congressman Brown’s resignation.   Because we have been partners in building a better South Carolina, I wanted you to be the first to know that I will not be running for Congress in 2010.  Personally and professionally, 2010 is not the time for me to mount a campaign.  

Although I’m not endorsing anyone until I see each candidate's thinking as regards how to make government work again, I ask my supporters to take a close look at Colonel Robert Burton.    He and I met over 10 years ago and worked together on affordable housing initiatives in South Carolina.   I find him to be a man of integrity, service and leadership and will study his candidacy carefully.

My wish - and I'm sure yours - is that a candidate of uncommon wisdom, principles, independence and leadership emerge victorious for this seat.

Very best regards,
Linda

Linda Ketner

SC-01: The Race to Replace Henry Brown Heats Up

by: Jennifer Read

Tue Jan 05, 2010 at 06:54:45 AM EST

For Democrats, Brown's departure sets up an opportunity to make a play for an open seat in a district that's been trending slightly more moderate in recent years. In 2008, Charleston was one of only a handful of counties to flip blue in our reliably red state, and Linda Ketner's narrow 4 point loss to Brown made progressives across the country sit up and take notice of the possibilities in South Carolina's First District.  

After Ketner's announcement last summer that she would not take another shot at the seat in '10, the DCCC began courting former State Rep. Robert Barber and current Rep. Leon Stavrinakis to pick up the blue mantel. But Barber opted instead to reconsider another run at the Lt Guv position and multiple sources have confirmed to Indigo Journal that Stavrinakis decided to pass on a congressional bid earlier this fall. However, given Monday's dramatic turn of events, might Stravrinakis rethink his decision?

Same Script, Slightly Different Cast

by: Atlas

Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 22:20:11 PM EDT

The Draft Leon Stavrinakis for US Congress in 2010 Facebook group has over a dozen members, including a few former Ketner staffers and a spy, otherwise known as SCHotline editor Jeffrey Sewell. BTW, the group should not be confused with the group trying to draft the state rep to run for governor. Stavrinakis says he'll make a decision about entering the race in the next month. He's supposed to be making the rounds in Washington next week while he makes a decision.

Roll Call also says Robert Burton, a vet that served as the commissioner for the South Carolina Finance and Development Authority, could also be mulling a bid. Plus, Republicans with funny names smell blood in the water. Someone else has a dog in this fight, too: the DCCC, which is said to be targeting Brown.

Either way, I wouldn't want to be Henry Brown in 2010, or any year, for that matter. It will be interesting to see who takes center stage, who exits stage left, and who gets hired to work on the latest campaign.

Ketner: I will not run in 2010

by: JamieSanderson

Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 07:53:50 AM EDT

Today was supposed to be a great day. I have been working extremely hard to get a new brand of leadership elected as mayor in the city of Georgetown. I voted today - third person in my precinct - and came away happy knowing I cast a vote for a strong woman to lead us for four years.

However, another strong woman has broken my heart. 

1st Congressional Democratic candidate Linda Ketner announced that she will not run in 2010. 

This is truly a shocker to me. I know for a fact that Ketner is not a run-of-the-mill politician. Her involvement in our community and in running for a congressional seat made a lot of people sweat - even Henry Brown.

To read more about this, visit here for the e-mail she sent out.

Open Thread: About those tax credits for private schools…

by: Jennifer Read

Tue Apr 21, 2009 at 15:50:07 PM EDT

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me where the $1 billion in scholarship money will come from for our state's 191,000 children living in poverty.  Their parents won't get a tax credit because they don't make enough to pay income tax.

And how many scholarships do you think will be available to the best local private schools whose tuition and fees are $10,000-$20,000?

There's a reason that the Chamber of Commerce is against this sham.  We will never be able to compete globally - much less nationally - with an undereducated population.

Former congressional candidate Linda Ketner on SCRG's latest "school choice" push.

Linda Ketner's Website

by: Finx

Wed Mar 25, 2009 at 07:55:29 AM EDT

http://www.lindaketner.com/

The site for her campaign is now loaded with excellent information and link to her blog. It's a site for her supporters to continue the support and discussion of the issues that were important in her candidacy.  Good to see candidates, including Rob Miller, keep the energy, focus and momentum of their campaign on going. 

While I was on vacation…

by: Jennifer Read

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 06:03:04 AM EST

Red State Update
First, S.C. GOP Chair Katon Dawson finally came out and publicly proclaimed his interest in the RNC Chairmanship. No great surprise there, but Mark Sanford's sudden emergence as a 2012 presidential contender is both fascinating and mind-boggling. I suppose with Republicans across the country pointing fingers at one another and frantically offering up advice on how to get the party back on track, the Governor's signature shtick of calling out his own party is en vogue right now.

Later today, Sanford will join fellow GOP prez hopefuls Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty in sharing their vision for the future of the party when he addresses the Republican Governors Association in Miami.

Cabinet Making
For the Dems, it's been all about building a strong Obama Cabinet to deliver us out of darkness over the next four years. Topping the list of potential Palmetto State Obama appointees are U.S. Rep. John Spratt (OMB), Inez Tenenbaum (ED), and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (HUD). From what I'm hearing, Spratt is the most likely S.C. leader to be offered a cabinet position in the future Obama Administration, but whether or not he'd accept an appointment is still up in the air. As expected, the GOP is already circling the SC-05, waiting to pounce.

SC-01 a 'Bellwether' Race to Watch

by: Jennifer Read

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 20:53:52 PM EST

One of South Carolina's most hotly contested races has turned into all-out political warfare in the last few days, with Democrat Linda Ketner and Republican incumbent Henry Brown trading daily jabs throughout South Carolina's First Congressional District.

During the last week, Brown has bombarded the SC-01 airwaves with attack ads accusing Ketner of being "too liberal" for First District voters. In response, the Ketner campaign has countered with its own hard-hitting spots refuting Brown's 'liberal' label and taking a whack at the Congressman's forest fire scandal and votes for the recent Wall Street bailout.

Heading into the final day of campaigning, polls show Ketner closing in on Brown with MSNBC News, The Washington Post, The National Journal, the Swing State Project, and Politico all warning in recent days of a possible upset in this traditional Republican stronghold.  Likewise, the DCCC has stepped up its investment, giving Ketner nearly $75,000 in the last week to continue her assault against the unexpectedly weak GOP incumbent.

So can Ketner pull off an upset win tomorrow over Ol' Smokey Brown?

I have no idea, but it's likely to be a nail-biter Tuesday evening. According to the Ketner campaign, as of Monday, volunteers have filled 450 shifts this week and made more than 16,000 phone calls to First District residents urging them to vote for a 'change' of leadership in Washington -- that's a sign of some serious Blue grassroots support in this blood-Red district.

Look for the national news media to pay a fair amount of attention to the SC-01 race Tuesday night as close returns in the Brown/Ketner race are likely to signal a great night for Barack Obama and Democratic candidates nationwide.

Cold Front Moving Toward Hell?

by: Tim Kelly

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 14:16:45 PM EST

Last week's SurveyUSA poll had it 52-44 for McCain, and a few months ago even that margin would have been unthinkable in South Carolina.

With the astounding numbers of absentee votes already cast, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Obama could cut that deficit even more, even though in my wildest dreams I can't see him actually winning the state.

More important, though, is that if Obama is getting that kind of momentum in South Carolina, he may be providing a tailwind to Rob Miller and Linda Ketner.

If you want real change in South Carolina, call a county Campaign for Change office and volunteer to drive people to the polls, make phone calls, stand on a street corner and wave a sign. It's all about GOTV now, and my God, I believe it: YES WE CAN!

Minority Vote "Key Factor" in SC-01, SC-02 races

by: Jennifer Read

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 07:16:44 AM EDT

Unexpectedly strong Democratic fundraising and likely record African-American turnout for presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has Reps. Henry Brown (R) and Joe Wilson (R) protecting their political careers along coastal South Carolina a week out from Election Day.

"We're seeing a lot of people active for the presidential race [and] the minority vote is a little stronger," than previous years, Wilson spokesman Preston Grisham said Monday. "It's going to be slightly closer" than previous election cycles.

Also worth noting, the article ends with South Carolina's GOP Chairman Katon Dawson calling on Brown and Wilson to turn up the heat on their Democratic opponents ASAP:

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson said Wilson and especially Brown should go negative from now until Election Day.

Still, Dawson said Brown should avoid "the politics of personal destruction" but added "as long as they're true, on the record and factual, then it's fair to give that to the voters. The ones who lose are the ones who didn't draw contrasts."

You can read the full article here.

New Poll: Brown 50, Ketner 45

by: Jennifer Read

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 06:57:29 AM EDT

Brown (R-inc) - 50
Ketner (D) - 45
(MoE: ±4.1%)

The survey of 600 likely voters was conducted October 25 and 26. Other key findings: Brown leads 3:2 among whites; Ketner leads 7:1 among African Americans.

R2K Poll: Brown below 50%, "Ketner with real chance"

by: Jennifer Read

Sun Oct 26, 2008 at 10:49:54 AM EDT

Linda Ketner (D): 37
Henry Brown (R-inc): 48
(10/20-22, MoE: ±5%)

As Daily Kos explains, the latest numbers are actually really great news for Democratic challenger Linda Ketner:

First, incumbent Republican Henry Brown is under 50% reelect. That's always reason for optimism, especially so in an R+10 district, where Bush won by 22 points in 2004.

Second, Democrat Linda Ketner's favorables are actually quite strong - 40% favorable, 35% unfavorable. She even gets 25% favorables from Republicans, which is quite remarkable for an openly gay, progressive Democrat in a conservative South Carolina district. She has raised plenty of money, and spent lavishly in an effort to increase her profile; it appears to have been successful.

Third and perhaps most importantly, fully 32% of black voters polled are undecided. Black voters made up 22% of the sample used.
Ketner is getting 29% of the white vote, five points higher even than Obama.

If undecided black voters end up going for Ketner in the same proportion that decideds have - or to the same degree that they're going for Obama - that could be worth anywhere from an additional 5-8 points for Ketner. This would put her numbers in the low-to-mid 40s, and solidly within striking distance of Brown.

SC-01 race on Wash Post's 'Likely to Switch Parties' List

by: Jennifer Read

Sat Oct 25, 2008 at 17:15:04 PM EDT

48. South Carolina's 1st district (R): This race isn't on most peoples' radar screens but according to informed GOP sources it should be. Rep. Henry Brown (R) has held the Charleston-area seat since 2000 but seemed to be caught off-guard by businesswoman Linda Ketner (D) who has used a $700,000 personal donation to pummel Brown. The incumbent is (finally) fighting back. But it may be too late.

The Washington Post's bleak assessment of the Republican incumbent's re-election chances came just hours before The State newspaper ran their own piece "Brown in tough fight for his political life:"

It started off as the "grocery stores war," but now it's just war.

Ten days out from Election Day, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Brown is fighting for his political life against first-time office-seeker Linda Ketner, a Democrat.

Buoyed by recent polls that show Ketner even with Brown or a few points ahead, Democratic congressional leaders are buying ads in support of Ketner. They also have put Ketner on their party's coveted "Red to Blue" list of races they think are best poised to oust Republicans and install new Democratic House members.

As we've been talking about for weeks here on Indigo Journal, Ketner's sophisticated campaign and fundraising prowess have allowed the Democratic challenger to hold Brown's feet to the fire on a score of issues from his forest fire scandal, to alleged franking abuses etc.

And judging by the reactions this week from the Congressman's friends and allies, it sounds like this is one 'Southern Lady' who's doing an excellent job of making Ol' Henry awfully nervous.

Convicted Criminal and State Legislator Thad Viers Attacks Congressional Candidate

by: Tim Kelly

Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 13:24:01 PM EDT

By "defender of family values" we mean a guy who loves marriage so much that when his own marriage fell apart, he picked up the phone and threatened to perform various sex acts on the mother of his estranged wife's boyfriend.

While contributing to the colorful tradition of South Carolina public officials who have caned fellow legislators and proudly spoken of shooting black people to keep them from voting, making such phone calls is, regrettably, a criminal matter, and Rep. Viers was convicted of the crime in 2007.

Though some reports indicated that the pious Mr. Viers might have been drinking at the time, his attorney, fellow legislator Todd Rutherford, said his client was "under the influence of love" (one suspects that Bill Clinton, Mark Foley and Larry Craig would sympathize).

Back to the matter at hand, though, Rep. Viers said of Ms. Ketner:

"I feel voters need to know where she stands on some issues that to a lot of them are completely abhorrent," Viers said after the rally. "She is not just out of the mainstream, she is out of the fringe. Her values better represent San Francisco, California - not God-fearing South Carolina."

Viers cited a number of other issues, such as her opposition to the death penalty, but many of his concerns noted activism related to her sexuality: her past leadership of the S.C. Gay and Lesbian Alliance; or her campaign against the gay-marriage amendment. He read from an opinion piece she wrote for the Q-Notes, an online news site for the Carolinas' gay community, in which she discussed her faith in God and her frustration with Christians who demonize gays.

Surprisingly, Rep. Viers said he planned and executed his press conference without the knowledge or encouragment of Ms. Ketner's opponent, incumbent Rep. Henry Brown (R-SC).

By "surprisingly" we mean we think he's full of horse-poo given the fact that he was previously employed by Congressman Brown and once served as executive director of the Horry County Republican Party.

Democratic Leaders say Rep. Brown is "Deceiving Voters"

by: Jennifer Read

Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 11:49:27 AM EDT

Two Democratic Party leaders have called on Rep. Henry Brown (R-SC) to remove boasts about "bogus" awards from special interest groups from his Congressional website. They claim four of them are from groups that have affiliations with a disgraced Washington lobbyist and "have nothing to do with South Carolina.

State Party Chair Carol Fowler and former Charleston County Party Chairman Waring Howe said the awards -- "Friend of the Stockholder," "Guardian of Worker Freedom," and "Hero of the Taxpayer" -- are "special favors from special interests, designed only to confuse voters" about his record.  Brown lists them on his taxpayer-financed website and has promoted them with local news media and in his newsletters.

In a letter to Brown, Fowler and Howe said "These awards make you look more like a workhorse for lobbyists than the people of South Carolina." An excerpt from the letter:

Congressman, these awards are bogus and should be removed from your site. They were given to you by right-wing groups whose mission is more about giving political cover than good government. They are all affiliated in some way with a disgraced Washington lobbyist who was directly implicated in the Abramoff scandal. Three of them even share the same office in Washington. Same people, same baloney, different letterhead.

This is even more outrageous since you are passing these things off as legitimate on a Congressional website paid for with taxpayer dollars. These awards make you look more like a workhorse for lobbyists than for the people of South Carolina. They are simply special favors from special interests, designed only to confuse the voters. Is there any wonder the public is so cynical about Congress?

Apparently you continue to tell your constituents about the award from something called the 60 Plus Association. The Post & Courier has already exposed it as little more than a front group for the pharmaceutical industry, trying to make its Congressional favorites look like friends of seniors. The pharmaceutical industry's only interest in seniors is keeping their drug prices high.

Brown is rumored to be running for his political life against Charleston businesswoman Linda Ketner, who was recently added to the DCCC's competitive "Red to Blue" Program. Ketner has been hitting Brown hard for alleged franking abuses, his vote for the recent financial bailout, and on his lingering forest fire drama.

Look for the fireworks between these two to continue between now and Election Day in what's shaping up to be a real nail-biter of a race in the First District.

(Photo: Charleston Post & Courier)