Neil Thigpen, longtime political science commentator and retired Francis Marion University professor, had complimentary things to say about Vincent in today's "Thursdays with Thigpen" Q & A.  Read the full piece here.

Question: Things are a little closer among Democrats in the governor’s race, according to the Rasmussen poll of likely Democratic primary voters. S.C. Superintendent of Education Jim Rex and state Sen. Vincent Sheheen each were favored by 16 percent of those surveyed. State Sen. Robert Ford was supported by 12 percent of those polled. Most people, 37 percent, were undecided and 15 percent said they support another candidate. Dwight Drake, who dropped out of the race last week, garnered 5 percent. What are your thoughts?

Answer: Unlike the Republican race, this shows that at least one candidate on the Democratic side, is moving very rapidly upward, and that’s state Sen. Sheheen. In a fairly creditable poll a few months ago, Dr. Rex had a fairly sizable lead, and Sheheen was in third. This indicates to me with Sheheen now tied with Rex, that Rex is standing still and Sheheen is moving like a Mack truck. A lot more people know who he is than knew a number of months ago. He has been the one on the Democratic side that has run a really exceptional and well-reasoned campaign. He got an early start, he’s raised the most money, and he’s put together a network of supporters.

Question: The S.C. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Republican Gresham Barrett and Democrat Vincent Sheheen in their respective bids for governor. The Chamber is the state’s largest business advocacy group and this is the first time they have endorsed candidates for governor. What do you think of these endorsements?

Answer: Coming from the business community, it’s a plus obviously for any candidate. It’s a more routine type of endorsement on the Republican side with Congressman Barrett. He had as good a chance as the other (Republicans) in the field to get an endorsement from the Chamber, but the fact that Sen. Sheheen got the endorsement on the Democratic side is very good for him. It means the business community isn’t afraid of him just because he’s a Democrat, they must detect something in his record and his pronouncements. That suggest on business matters that he would be very conservative and businesslike on the conduct of state affairs it’s a much bigger catch for Sheheen than for Barrett.

Earlier this week, Vincent toured Graphic Cow, Inc. -- a small business located in Liberty, SC that specializes in printing t-shirts.  Check them out at www.graphiccow.com.

Take a look at other pictures from the campaign trail in our Flickr account.


 

Today the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the state's largest business and trade association, announced their support of Sen. Vincent Sheheen, candidate for governor, in the Democratic primary.

In a statement released by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the organization cited the following reasons for backing Sheheen:

Vincent Sheheen (D) also has a strong economic vision for South Carolina, and his support of comprehensive tax reform, port expansion, the technical college system, low-cost energy and small business growth are all priorities that support a globally competitive South Carolina. His bipartisan experience and work in the General Assembly make him equipped to handle the demands that come from leading the state.

Sheheen responded:

"I'm honored to have the support of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.  As governor, my number one priority will be job creation and getting our economy moving again. I will personally lead the state’s efforts to recruit robust industry and aggressively pursue economic development opportunities for South Carolina."

[UPDATE : Video added]


[UPDATE] Pics added:



The campaign just issued the following release:

The campaign has a lot going on in the Upstate tomorrow, and we want to invite you to take part in these events. 

Major Endorsement:  Tomorrow, Monday, March 8th, Vincent will be joined by a special guest for a major campaign endorsement in the Upstate. The event will be held at the YWCA, 700 Augusta Street at 11:15 AM.  Click here to RSVP.

Spartanburg County Convention:  The Spartanburg County Democratic Convention will be held tomorrow, Monday, March 8th, at Byrnes High School at 6:30 PM.  Click here to RSVP.  (If you're able to volunteer, please report 30 minutes early.)

Greenville County Convention:  The Greenville County Democratic Convention will be held tomorrow, Monday, March 8th, at the Carolina First Center at 6:00 PM.  Click here to RSVP.  (If you're able to volunteer, please report 30 minutes early.)

See you in the Upstate tomorrow! 

*Don't live in the Upstate?  Click here to find out details about your county's convention this month.

State Sen. Vincent Sheheen, Democratic candidate for governor, released the following statement in response to the news that Dwight Drake would be withdrawing from the gubernatorial primary:

Dwight has been a formidable opponent whose smarts, expertise, and vast knowledge of South Carolina government brought great perspective and ideas to the table in this race.  I greatly respect his service to our country in Vietnam, his service to our state as an advisor to Governor Riley, and I look forward to working with him to tackle the many challenges facing South Carolina.

Every day new people across South Carolina are joining our effort to get our state moving in the right direction.  We're laying the groundwork of a winning campaign, and as your next governor, I will make it my mission to help restore hope for all of the people of South Carolina by recruiting well-paying jobs, improving our schools, and working with you to make South Carolina a better place to live.  

Today 40 members of the General Assembly held a press conference at the State House announcing their support for Sen. Vincent Sheheen's campaign for governor.

"I'm grateful to my friends and colleagues in the legislature for standing with me and supporting me today," said Sen. Sheheen.  "As governor, I'll work with them to tackle the many challenges facing our state. 

Sheheen continued, "Only by working together can we get South Carolina moving in the right direction again and restore hope for all of the people of our state."

The full list of members of the General Assembly endorsing Sheheen today is below in the extended entry:

We need your help!  Over the course of the next few weeks, the county Democratic conventions will be taking place across the state.  These conventions are prime opportunities for us to show the strength of our campaign on the grassroots level, and we want to make sure each convention is attended by as many of you as possible!  Below, you will find links to RSVP pages on The Sheheen Action Network.  Each page has the details of your county's convention.  If you have further questions about your county's convention, visit www.scdp.org, select your county in the "Get Local" dropdown menu, and contact your county party.  [Note: Details on the Bamberg and Hampton County Conventions were not yet available. Will update information as soon as they are.]

COUNTIES:

This week the state senate is moving forward on a bill, S. 1096, that I cosponsored with several other senators to create jobs and cut energy usage in our state. This groundbreaking law would allow our local electric cooperatives to partner with customers to rehabilitate energy-inefficient homes. The electric cooperatives would help customers finance home improvements such as weatherization, insulation, and upgrades to heating and cooling units.

According to an economic study, over 4,500 new jobs would be created by 2020 and over 7,000 jobs by 2030. These jobs will include contractors performing weatherization, HVAC installers, energy auditors, and more. Homeowners will also see increased disposable income as a result of decreased energy bills. The jobs will be dispersed throughout the state, bringing much-needed economic growth to many of our rural areas.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Trav Robertson
(803)272-0485

Columbia, SC -- Today State Senator Vincent Sheheen, candidate for governor, called on House budget writers not to cut critical funding for education in the state budget and to raise the cigarette tax to the national average. Sheheen issued the following statement:

"These are tough budget times, but we need to make necessary cuts to the budget without sacrificing things that are critical investments for our future -- and education is one of those things," said Senator Sheheen. "We owe it to our children to keep teachers in the classroom."