Harrell Will Not Run for Governor
Will remain most powerful man in state government.
We have confirmed that multiple people have received calls from Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell in the last two days telling them that he will not run for Governor.
Speaker Harrell was widely seen as a GOP frontrunner for the Gubernatorial nomination because of his steadfast support for South Carolina’s business community. His ability to raise money would have immediately catapulted him to the front of the field.
This is a wise choice for Speaker Harrell. South Carolina’s outdated constitution leaves the Governor with little power, handing it to the General Assembly instead. As Speaker, Harrell is the most powerful member of the General Assembly and arguably the most powerful man in South Carolina state government.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I certainly agree that, with respect to the actual power distribution in SC, the Speaker has (much) more ability than the governor to move an agenda forward.
But if Harrell ultimately wants a higher officer (e.g., U.S. Senate), the statewide profile from being governor far outweighs even the most sucessful Speaker-ship.
You could argue that Wilkins is an exception, but I still believe that a governor runs for Senate from an infinitely better position than a former SC House speaker.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
[...] In case you ever doubted that news travels fast in this state, Warren Tompkins and company beat me to this story by exactly ten [...]
May 13th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
That Harrell will not be governor is good news for South Carolina.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
[...] … fast-forward to this afternoon, when not one, not two but three political blogs here in South Carolina all “broke” the story of [...]
August 12th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
As much as I respect Mr. Harrell and could support him for governor I believe that Congressman Gresham Barrett of the Third District would be a great governor and could create unity in the state. Not only does he understand the role of government, he understands the needs people have throughout the state and furthermore he knows how to get them the help they need. He understands business and how to get businesses to relocate to our state and build expansion plants within our borders. We desperately need industrial investments and job creation in our state, especially in the poorest counties from the Midlands to the PeeDee regions.
South Carolina has, during the past few years, failed to invest in the infrastructure of our great state. Business leaders want to see how a state can support their business once it locates into South Carolina. We must spend money to make money. Our current governor simply refuses to accept this principle. I hope the next governor will work to find businesses willing to come to our state and work to meet their requirements for coming here. We need jobs to create an environment of stability. South Carolina is on the edge of becoming a booming state. With a little push we can get there.