Why fund-raising woes won't force Rex out of the race

It's not how much, but how little money Jim Rex has in his campaign coffer that has attracted attention. But the state superintendent of education says there's no chance he'll be the first of five Democratic candidates for governor to fall by the wayside.

Berkeley-Charleston state Sen. Larry Grooms recently became the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to leave that primary race, citing the difficulty of statewide fund-raising. It was Grooms' estimate that it would require at least a million dollars for the necessary media buys prior to the primary, not to mention the anticipated runoff. When he left the race, he was far below that goal with about $150,000 on hand and little hope of raising more than $400,000.

According to the latest filing with the S.C. Ethics Commission that covers the quarter from October through December, Rex is fourth in the total amount of funds raised but last in cash on hand. He raised $117,000 in the last quarter with only $28,647 remaining. Comparatively, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen has $749,000 of the nearly $1 million he's raised. Attorneys Mullins McLeod and Dwight Drake listed their contributions on hand as $366,805 and $315,948, respectively, and state Sen. Robert Ford reported $41,327 in his account.

Rex, however, seems unperturbed. He points out that four years ago his Republican opponent outspent him three to one. He was, in fact, the only Democrat to win a statewide race that year. That already gives him something his four primary opponents are now seeking: statewide recognition. What's more, polls tell him that his recognition is generally positive, which he contends is worth a couple of million dollars. He notes that the other candidates who don't have that positive statewide recognition have to figure out how to get it between now and the first week in June.

At the same time, Rex acknowledges that he needs 'to step up the fund-raising a bit.' But he also notes he has 'a full-time job.' He says he knew when he got in the race he couldn't be a full-time candidate 'and I don't intend to be.' Actually, Rex says, the press reports on his fund-raising problems may have helped, indirectly. New funds, he says, have been coming in from people who said, ‘Gee, we didn't realize you needed more money.' '

Rex says he knew he would have to balance the responsibilities of his office and that of being a candidate, which is why his announcement in mid-September was the last of the five contenders.

It was also the insights he gained from his job that convinced him of the need for systemic reform in state government. He notes that in the past 18 months his department has sustained nearly $750 million in cuts and the state has 1,000 fewer teachers, even with the federal stimulus funds. Further, 58 percent of the state's public school students qualify for lunch subsidies and another 10,000 in public schools are homeless. 'The idea of being in this office for another four years if other conditions don't change is like banging your head against the wall,' he said.

At the same time, he says he's proud of the progress that's has been made despite the obstacles including improvement in on-time graduation and the thousands of students who are benefiting from new choices in education. But, he says, momentum is being lost, and the workforce is demoralized by vacancies and furloughs. He also notes he is the only statewide officeholder who has voluntarily taken a salary cut. Rex believes he will be the beneficiary of the anti-incumbency mood in this country, primarily because he is viewed as an educator rather than a typical politician; a former college president with substantial administrative experience: 'The challenge for me is to get out there what I think are the primary issues.' He lists jobs, economic development and their connection to education and workforce training, along with comprehensive tax reform.

But even though the polls put him among the top contenders, at issue is how well those polls can gauge who will actually wind up voting in the primaries since there is no party registration in this state. Indeed, analysts within his own party question whether he can defeat those who have stronger ties with the party loyalists most likely to dominate the primary turnout.

Rex recognizes that getting out of the primary will be a considerable challenge and that there's a high probability of a runoff if all five candidates stay in the race. 'I have seen the Democratic Party many times shoot itself in the foot by selecting someone who has no chance of winning in November,' he said. But he's an optimist that it won't happen this time and he'll be in the runoff if he doesn't win outright.

Rex does make a good case for why primary fund-raising isn't as critical for him as it was, for example, for Sen. Grooms. In fact, he's among the least likely of the remaining nine candidates in both parties' primaries to call it quits.

Barbara S. Williams, editor emeritus of The Post and Courier, may be reached at bwilliams@postandcourier.com.