Bauer to begin campaign ads

Covering the politics of the Lowcountry, South Carolina and the nation.

COLUMBIA -- South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said Wednesday he expects to air his first television ads this week in his campaign to become the state's next governor.

Bauer, a Republican, said the ads will begin airing Friday, but he doesn't yet know how much campaign and personal cash would go into them or how long they will run.

Bauer said the ads are "message-oriented," but not a direct appeal to vote for him in the June 8 primary. And they're not an effort to change the message that put him in the national spotlight last month when he drew a comparison between feeding stray animals and caring for people dependent on state aid.

In a GOP debate two weeks ago, Bauer promised that he wouldn't be politically correct. "There's a lot of issues that I think need to be discussed that government officials have steered clear of," Bauer said.

He cited a Wednesday debate in the Senate on a measure to require drug testing for people getting unemployment benefits. It immediately ran into opposition.

"They're on a fixed income now of some kind of benefit they're receiving and we don't even want to try to do something to help them," Bauer said. "If you really want to help people, you will break cycles."