3-ring election season

A hike along the Appalachian Trail that ended up in Buenos Aires. Two words shouted at the President of the United States. A scandalous run-up to the GOP gubernatorial primary.

All these national headlines were penned before South Carolina's political season entered its stretch run.

Labor Day marks the traditional kick-off to the fall election season, and one question that will be answered between today and Nov. 2 is simply this: Will there be any more craziness?

'I wonder if South Carolina doesn't deserve to be nominated for an Emmy in the comedy category, for television news coverage,' said Scott Huffmon, an assistant political science professor at Winthrop University. 'We've had some crazy stuff before, but now there's a cumulative effect. We've had a whole lot, and I bet we've still got more in our bag of crazy tricks.'

Gov. Mark Sanford's trip to Argentina last summer to visit his mistress — while his staff claimed he was hiking — kicked off a conga line of political embarrassments for the Palmetto State. A few months later, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson shouted 'You lie!' during President Barack Obama's health care address to Congress, attracting more attention here.

Wilson apologized for the controversial remark, but that did nothing to staunch the flow of dollars into his campaign and that of his opponent, Democrat Rob Miller. So far, it has led to the most costly Congressional race in Palmetto State history.

Together, Wilson and Miller have raised more than $6.5 million — twice as much as all the candidates in any other South Carolina Congressional district.

'That's lining up to be an exciting race because it is going to be heavily mediated,' Huffmon said. 'Both sides have enough money for the media campaigns to just blanket the district with virtually any message they want. Both sides are going to be fired up.'

The wide-open governor's race between Republican state Rep. Nikki Haley of Lexington and Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden has remained mostly quiet, but that could change.

Voters will see if it approaches the nastiness of Haley's primary win, in which two Republican-leaning figures said they had previous affairs with her — claims that Haley flatly denied. Democrats have been working to link Haley with Sanford, mostly by talking about where they agree on policy.

'I think the gubernatorial race is kind of in a lull and it will flare up again,' Huffmon said. 'It could pick up steam and it could wobble toward a normal electoral track but there's just as good a chance that it will explode into craziness again.'

In the race for U.S. Senate, Alvin Greene, who faces a felony charge of allegedly showing pornography to a University of South Carolina student, faces Republican incumbent Jim DeMint, as well as Green party candidate Tom Clements and write-in candidate Mazie Ferguson.

DeMint is widely considered to have one of the smoothest paths to re-election in history.

Huffmon said the real question will be how much the spectacle of the Senate race diverts attention from other races, such as the 5th Congressional District where Democrat John Spratt, a Democrat, faces a challenge from Republican state Sen. Mick Mulvaney.

Both could have a harder time breaking through the clutter to get their message to voters, he said. Also, any circus could overshadow the 1st Congressional District race in the Lowcountry.

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There, state Rep. Tim Scott is expected to make history by becoming the first African-American Republican to win a Congressional seat from the Deep South since Reconstruction. Democrat and perpetual candidate Ben Frazier has raised less than $13,000 and has done little to energize the Democratic base.

'This is about how minorities are moving in and being accepted,' Huffmon said, noting that Scott is emphasizing his conservative outlook, not his race. 'That's a big story in the context of South Carolina history.'

Voters have until Oct. 2 to register for the Nov. 2 general election.