|| By FITSNEWS || It looks like there won’t be a showdown of rising stars in the S.C. Democratic party after all …
S.C. Rep. Beth Bernstein – one of the party’s up-and-coming young lawmakers – says she won’t seek a State Senate seat being vacated by her longtime friend and political mentor, Joel Lourie.
“After much prayer and personal reflection, my conclusion is that while serving in the Senate would be an exciting opportunity, I believe my recent appointments to the House Judiciary and Ethics Committees allow me to be more effective in representing this community in the House of Representatives,” Bernstein said in a statement. “Therefore, at this time, I do not intend to file for Senator Lourie’s vacant Senate seat.”
“I am able to effect positive change for my constituency through the legislative process, and I believe I can make a bigger impact for our community by continuing to serve in the House,” Bernstein added, noting that “many of the bills that I have co-sponsored this year have passed, including the Cervical Cancer Prevention Act, of which I was the primary sponsor.”
Bernstein’s decision means the seat being vacated by Lourie will likely go to another rising Democratic star, S.C. Rep. Mia McLeod – who announced her candidacy last week.
We like Bernstein and McLeod. Lots.
“Both are young. Smart. Hard-working. Attractive. Both have well-established networks and lots of institutional support,” we wrote in assessing their “almost” showdown last week.
And did we mention “attractive?”
On several occasions over the last week this website’s founding editor – the eternally pubescent Will Folks – resisted the urge to tweet something about Bernstein and McLeod settling their battle for Lourie’s Senate seat via a jelly wrestling match.
With himself serving as “referee.”
Bottom line? It would have been senseless for Democrats to pit these two candidates against each other for this seat – especially seeing as both lawmakers would have likely been compelled to surrender their seats in the S.C. House.
Oh, one GOP candidate – city of Columbia councilman Daniel Rickenmann – is also said to be eying a bid for this Senate seat, although any “Republican” candidate would face steep odds given the demographic make-up of the district.
32 comments
Crap, so we’re stuck with Mia, who believes the answer to every problem is another law and there’s a racist hiding behind every tree…
There is always Daniel Rickenmann who pretended to be against the Benji/Coble/Austin/Gantt/Wilson mafia, but always gave in when the rubber hit the road.
It is the same quandry voters are confronted with on an increasing basis with each election cycle. You get a “choice” between no choice and no choice. That is what put Sanford in Congress and Obama in for a second term.
Seriously. Is there not a single viable conservative in that district who could run? It wouldn’t take much…just have positions on issues that have nothing to do with using race as the source of all our problems.
A Democrat announces she is not irrelevant, and you think that’s news?
Where is Joel going?
The Old Senators Home.
Who cares?
Big fat contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Being a toady pays off very well.
Yeah – just ask Nikki Haley how much Blue Cross Blue Shield pays her. The paid for her inauguration among other things.(over $300k)
Not to meet the 70 Virgins. like they promise yall.
So disappointed Beth isn’t running. But Mia is a very knowledgeable effective legislator and will do a great job as well.
Racist?
Wow – how can you get that out of my comment – did you bother to read the WHOLE comment????
I bet plenty of republicans would like to give her a seat…
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x15zj5c_prince-i-wanna-be-your-lover-official-video_music
True: God made us men attracted to women. It’s the only way our species survives. Why do you think Conservative men are rated so much higher in bed, than effeminate little liberals, who have trouble w/ honesty and real women.
Not a biology (or psychology) major, are you?
Are you kidding me? You so called conservative types are constantly getting caught having sex with little boys or men or having extra marital affairs, all while claiming to be the epitome of family values. Ah yes, compassionate conservatism at its best.
GOPers are the archetypal page-pokers like that Palm Beach congressional dandy and toilet-tryster wide-stancers like Sen. Craig (R-3rd Urinal).
Mandingo had his phony macho insulted and Say No To obsessively loved Elton John
But if YOU will just keep paying for their SNAP AND Section 8–they’ll continue to con !!!
I would gladly shave so that I could offer her a clean place to sit.
If the bottom is as hairy as the top you wasted your time shaving.
How much longer before the White Democrat is extinct?
After Obama, the Democrat Party has become so racially hateful. I would not be surprised if they never elect a white Democrat again, nationally.
They’ll try to push the gender thing w/ Hillary, but most people want to see the DNA on her before they concede she is female. If she is, she’s a disgrace to the gender.
‘How much longer before the White Democrat is extinct?’
White Democrats are only an endangered species in the Confederate states.
Only because there are so few black people in most liberal states.
In the South, African-Americans and White People fellowship. You just use them to feed your greed and power.
You Democrats don’t want to be around black people, so you pay them off to keep them TFA from you. Don’t you?
Listen, a-holes, I only have a few more months as the most corrupt judge in South Carolina history, and then I can run the Democratic Party. You just wait.
ps. Hugh, Hurry up and give those jobs to my staff like I told you to do. JHT.
Smart move on her part. Her seat is pretty safe – she has done a good job assuring the Rs in her district that she is not a crazy spendthrift corrupt GOB, and she has been very responsive to constituent requests for help, regardless of party affiliation. Why give that up to be in the Senate?
Let me guess: this “up and comer” checked the demographics and found that there are more Black Voters than White, and she knew how racist the Democrat Party voter is.
You Democrats are SO predictable. (: You fool NO one.
Not good. Sucks for those of us in Senate District 22. Mia McLeod aka Mia Butler aka Mia Garrick sees this seat as a way to advance her “consulting” bizness. Period.
That was a lot of words to say “I can’t win.” (BTW – This isn’t a majority minority district, but it’s 36% African-American. That’s certainly a tough district for a Republican to win. My guess is that Rep. McLeod has no opposition).
The best thing about when FITS covers Bernstein and McLeod is there are no snide remarks from the liberal crew. Cognitive dissonance is a bitch.
Beth added…well it isn’t that I’m not a mind-numbed lib or quit when the going is tough
It’s just that the felons who run Richland County explained to me…I’m not BLACK enough !!!
i’d hit both of ’em.