Friday Was A Monster Day @SC Politics

In case you missed all the commotion last Friday, South Carolina's Lt. Governor Ken Ard stepped down from his respective office. To be blunt, Mr. Ard shed the largely ceremonial purple robe, and left the state house grounds in a veil of shame. The move has been long expected.

When we heard the shakedown that, "Friday's the day," the real fireworks and political jostling spread like a country road trash fire! Assuming powerful Senator Glenn McConnell would do whatever it took NOT to replace Ard's politically impotent post as Lt. Governor, all signs lead to Sen. John Courson to make a move. BOOM!

When this news hit, all indications were that Rep. James Smith and Rep. Nathan Ballentine would announce as candidates for Courson's Senate seat. As the dominoes fell, Councilman Seth Rose and I (my friends know I'd love to serve) were pounded with calls and text messages, asking if we'd offer ourselves as candidates for Rep. Smith's District 75 seat. As Seth and I are friends (He's a favorite client, BTW), we spoke at length on Friday morning about the situation.

By noon, a crazy thing happened. Senator Glenn McConnell honorably accepted his role as Lt. Governor, which halted the House/Senate run "announcements," and shifted the craziness to the Senate chamber itself. Given Sen. McConnell's move, the political chess match became less about yard signs and fundraising, and more about chairmanships and leadership positions. For instance, as of Friday, Larry Grooms, Jake Knotts, and Harvey Peeler all have new posts. It's yet to be seen who will serve as President Pro Tem of the Senate, which is a very big whoop.

In all, most folks outside the confines of I-77 (The Beltway) aren't privy, or don't give a poop about this stuff. That said, whether you love or hate politics, these moves have major implications for our state.

For good or bad, well done to the Senator from Charleston. Sen. Glenn McConnell squashed a lot of political wonderings and potentially millions of dollars by doing the honorable thing. His new title is arguably more prestigious, as he now represents four million souls, but his lawmaking position is much less powerful. #Honor

Boo Ken Ard. Well done, Glenn McConnell. We'll see how it all shakes out.

As a Point of Information: Robert Rikard has announced his candidacy for the SC State Senate seat currently occupied by John Courson. Time will tell where Sen. Courson will be positioneded by election day, but it's to be noted that Rikard has quickly raised upwards of $70,000., which is cash on hand. #WOW!!!!