LABOR LAWYER WILL CHALLENGE HENRY McMASTER …
Turns out there was no “cold water” after all.
Catherine Templeton – a labor lawyer who ran the largest agency in state government from 2012-2015 – will run for governor of South Carolina after all.
Templeton confirmed the launch of her 2018 gubernatorial candidacy to reporter Schuyler Kropf of The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier.
Former SC health director Catherine Templeton announces her run for SC governor is now official as she declares today
— schuyler kropf (@skropf47) April 4, 2017
Templeton becomes the third announced candidate for the position, joining the incumbent Henry McMaster and former Democratic lieutenant governor Yancey McGill, who switched parties last year as part of his bid for this office. All three candidates are expected to submit campaign finance reports within the next few days detailing how much money they have raised over the past three months.
Will other candidates enter the fray?
Good question …
U.S. Senator Tim Scott – one of several big names floated as a possible contender – made it clear this week he has no plans to jump into the race. U.S. Reps. Jeff Duncan and Mark Sanford – the latter a former two-term governor – are also mentioned frequently as possible candidates.
Our guess is neither takes the plunge, though.
The 2018 race was supposed to be a “done deal” for McMaster – who received the advantage of incumbency on a silver platter from U.S. president Donald Trump. However, a lingering criminal investigation into corruption at the S.C. State House has drawn a bead on McMaster’s longtime political consultant, Richard Quinn, fundamentally changing the calculus of the race.
This website has run hot and cold with Templeton in the past, but there is no denying her policy skills – and her ability to deliver a message.
“We can’t keep kicking the can down the road,” Templeton said in a news release announcing her candidacy. “Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Right now is the time to send someone with practical experience running a business, making a home, and reforming government to call balls and strikes and do the math in Columbia. We can’t wait another decade to get started.”
Assuming her candidacy is well-funded – and we have every expectation it will be – Templeton could pose a credible challenge to McMaster, especially if the Quinn scandal continues to drag him down.
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