Is Rankin Sanford’s First Target?
December 19, 2007 | Filed Under State Politics, The Chaser, Top Shelf News
Written by The Shot
Everyone knows that Governor Mark Sanford and friends are building their 3rd party group warchests to target sitting Republican legislators. Everyone also knows that State Senator Luke Rankin is on Sanford’s target list. Recently voucher proponent Greg Killian of Horry County pulled his candidacy for the State Board of Education and announced his intention to run against Rankin.
Killian is an outspoken voucher advocate leading many to believe that he is Sanford’s first candidate. Is he? Who knows. Maybe The Governor’s Spokesman will give us some leaked inside information and let us know in the next few days. In the meantime, here’s an article from Zane Wilson at The Sun News:
Killian to run for S.C. Senate
Ex-chairman drops bid for education board
By Zane Wilson - The Sun NewsGreg Killian said Saturday he is withdrawing from the race for a seat on the state Board of Education and instead issued his challenge for state Sen. Luke Rankin’s job.
Killian’s action sets the local political season rolling early, as well as opens up the education board race again.
“Today, I contacted the chairman of the Horry County Legislative Delegation, Rep. Thad Viers, to inform him that I wish to withdraw my name from consideration for the position of 15th Judicial Circuit representative to the S.C. Board of Education in order to devote my full attention to offering my services to the citizens of District 33 as their representative to the S.C. state Senate,” Killian said in a written statement.
“Certainly it is his right to run,” Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach, said. “However, I suspect that the voters of Horry County will decide not to support him for the same reasons that myself and a majority of the delegation were not going to support him for the state board position based upon some of the things in his background.” He declined to elaborate on what those things were.
Some members of the delegation said Killian favors vouchers, or spending public money on private schools. Killian has said he is in favor of more school choice.
Killian said his withdrawal from contention for the state education board seat, which is a local legislative delegation appointment, had nothing to do with the former Horry Schools Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait possibly drawing a majority of the votes.
He said he didn’t see any guarantee that the same 7-5 majority that voted to delay his appointment last month would vote for Postlewait.
Rather, he said, he received “numerous calls, e-mails and letters” from residents of Rankin’s Senate district, in which Killian lives, “requesting that I represent them and the values and positions expressed in the Horry County Republican platform.”
Horry County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland has also been mentioned as a hopeful in the Senate District 33 race.
“There’s been a lot of talk about me being in that race and I haven’t ruled that out,” Gilland said Saturday. She added that Killian’s entry will make for an interesting party primary.
All state House and Senate members are up for election next year, but Killian is the first to announce his intentions.
It was Rankin who led the charge to delay Killian’s appointment and reopen applications. Two more people applied.
Now, Viers said, he will open the applications again, until 5 p.m. Friday.
That is partly because one of the other education board candidates, Patricia Milley, has agreed to accept an appointment instead to the Waccamaw Mental Health Board.
“With these new developments, I think it’s fair,” he said.
Also, some “very good candidates” had said they did not know about the deadline and are interested, and they “are worthy of discussion,” Viers said.
He said the delegation will meet Dec. 27 to appoint someone to the state board, but the time and place are not decided.
Killian served two four-year terms on the state board, ending four years ago. He was chairman for two of those years.
A social worker, he has worked with children in agencies from mental health services to Horry Schools. He is currently a discharge planner at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center.
“I know a lot about state government and I think that I would be a great senator,” Killian said.
“I’m going to give the people a choice,” he said.
Contact ZANE WILSON at 357-9188 or zwilson@thesunnews.com.
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