Upstate businessman John Warren likes to refer to his 2018 gubernatorial campaign as a military operation – part of what he calls an “eight-year deployment” to root out the forces of waste and corruption in Columbia, South Carolina.
The 39-year-old Marine is assembling one heck of an army to go with him, too … assuming he can continue his momentum and pull off an improbable upset of incumbent “Republican” governor Henry McMaster next Tuesday.
Warren has been racking up endorsements since finishing in second place (behind McMaster) in the first round of GOP voting on June 12.
First, he received the backing of the other two top tier contenders in the 2018 GOP gubernatorial primary – Lowcountry labor attorney Catherine Templeton and lieutenant governor Kevin Bryant of Anderson, S.C.
Templeton received just over 21 percent of the vote last week, while Bryant drew nearly 7 percent.
Next, Warren was endorsed by a host of Upstate leaders – including the top six finishers in last week’s GOP primary election for the state’s fourth congressional district. Those voters will likely come back to the polls next week as the fourth district race also advanced to a runoff election.
This week, Warren picked up the endorsements of U.S. congressman Ralph Norman and state senator Wes Climer – two elected officials from the state’s fifth congressional district who previously supported Templeton.
Climer, in particular, minced no words in breaking down what he sees as the difference between Warren and McMaster.
“Do we want a governor who sells access to his appointments, who views government or public service as an opportunity to cash in on his political connections?” he said. “Or do we want a businessman who’s offering to bring to bear his private sector experience to solve our problems, which are many, at the state government level?”
Hard to argue with that characterization …
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[/timed-content-server]According to our sources, Warren is aiming to keep the momentum rolling on Tuesday with at least one additional endorsement – this one reportedly coming out of the Palmetto State’s Lowcountry.
Developing …
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Banner: John Warren for Governor