(S.C) Sanford clinches GOP nomination for re-election bid(but not by much)

[Robbien]

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Republican Gov. Mark Sanford easily won his party's nomination Tuesday, but a little-known and poorly funded challenger was able to grab enough of the vote to send a message to the incumbent.

With 72 percent of the precincts reporting, Sanford had 65 percent of the vote to Dr. Oscar Lovelace's 35 percent. While the returns showed Sanford with a clear win, Lovelace supporters sent a clear message: The governor should work more closely with legislators to help South Carolina move forward.

Lovelace "will do a better job being fair," voter Angela Chambers of Irmo said Tuesday. "Sanford doesn't do a good job bringing people together. I almost feel like he doesn't respect the office of the governor."

"If it plays out that way in November, we'll have a change at the governor's office," state Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin said. He said if the margin holds, it's bound to attract more money to South Carolina from sources such as the national Democratic Governors Association. "This state is in play, and that's the biggest news to come out of this evening," Erwin said.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/14810878.htm



Governor - GOP Primary
South Carolina 1700 of 2052 Precincts Reporting - 82.85%
Name Party Votes Pct
Sanford , Mark (i) GOP 135,090 65.75
Lovelace , Oscar GOP 70,377 34.25

Governor - Dem Primary
South Carolina 1702 of 2052 Precincts Reporting - 82.94%
Max Runoff Cands=2
Name Party Votes Pct
Moore , Tommy Dem 75,358 64.63
Willis , Frank Dem 34,601 29.67
Aughtry , Dennis Dem 6,643 5.70

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/