Remainders: Special (Election) Report

Biden Needles Graham: ‘I Will Rip Your Skin Off’ #SCsen

Graham is up for re-election in 2014. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. offered Sen. Lindsey Graham his support for re-election — including a pledge to “rip your skin off for you” if it helps the South Carolina Republican’s 2014 prospects.

“I told him I’ll come to South Carolina and campaign for him or against him, whichever will help the most — I know which it’ll be,” Biden said at an April 26 forum hosted by The McCain Institute for International Leadership. ”I’m going down there to to the JJ next weekend, Lindsey, and I assure you I will rip your skin off for you, and I expect a thank-you note.”

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South Carolina: State Senator ‘Leaning Toward’ Graham Primary Challenge

Conservatives expect Graham will face a primary challenge in 2014, but it remains to be seen how competitive the race will be. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

South Carolina Republican state Sen. Lee Bright is “leaning toward” taking on Sen. Lindsey Graham in a primary.

“It’s something I’m considering. I haven’t made a final decision,” Bright told CQ Roll Call in a short telephone interview Monday afternoon, noting he expected to make a choice within the next 60 days. “There’s a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party, and I think Lindsey’s on the opposite side [from me].”

Asked on what issues they disagreed, Bright listed a comprehensive immigration overhaul, “man-made global warming” and the debt ceiling. Bright also griped that Graham “always wants to seem to rush to compromise” with Democrats. Full story

South Carolina: Haley’s Senate Appointment of Scott Draws Wide Praise

Scott will succeed DeMint in the Senate in January. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley, flanked by the Palmetto State’s GOP congressional delegation, officially appointed Republican Rep. Tim Scott to succeed Sen. Jim DeMint on Monday.

“It is a great day in South Carolina,” Haley said at a news conference at the state capitol in Columbia. “It is a historic day in South Carolina.”

Scott is expected to be sworn into the Senate when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3. He will run in a November 2014 special election to fill out the remainder of DeMint’s current term, which runs through 2016. His appointment means that the chamber will once again have African-American representation. The last black senator was Illinois Democrat Roland Burris, an appointee who served from 2009 to 2010. Scott will be the first black GOP senator from the South since 1881.

“This man loves South Carolina and he is very aware that what he does and every vote he makes affects South Carolina and affects our country,” Haley added. “And so it was with that that I knew that he was the right person. I have no doubt that he will fly through 2014.”

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South Carolina: Haley to Appoint Scott to Fill DeMint Seat

Haley is expected to choose Scott, above, to take DeMint's Senate seat. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley is set to appoint Republican Rep. Tim Scott to succeed Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., according to several news reports. The official announcement is expected to come at noon Monday.

Scott would immediately be up for re-election in 2014 to finish the rest of DeMint’s term, which expires in 2017.

DeMint announced plans to resign from Congress a week and a half ago to take the reigns of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

South Carolina: Haley Considers Politics of Appointment

South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley will appoint Sen. Jim DeMint's successor. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Gov. Nikki R. Haley’s 2014 re-election bid is expected to weigh heavily on whom she appoints to succeed Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican insiders told Roll Call Tuesday afternoon.

Haley is a rising star in national Republican circles and a tea party favorite. But at home, the first-term governor has struggled politically, fighting with Republicans in the Legislature and others in the party while enjoying lackluster support from independent voters. Haley appears safe from a primary challenge, but some polls have suggested that she could be vulnerable in the general election, despite the state’s strong conservative bent.

The Senate appointment could help Haley address some of these challenges, GOP operatives based in South Carolina and others with strong ties to the state said she is likely to take full advantage of the opportunity as she considers from a narrowed pool of five potential candidates. CNN first reported who was on the short list Tuesday, and each candidate carries strengths and weaknesses.

Rep. Trey Gowdy: Gowdy has tea party and conservative bona fides. He is not perceived to be personally close to Haley. Per one knowledgeable South Carolina-based GOP operative, Gowdy is the “unlikely choice for Haley, but for a future U.S. Senate race, a very good candidate.” Another source added that the Gowdy mention on the list might have as much to do with poking Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., as pushing Gowdy. Haley and Mulvaney have an adversarial relationship.

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South Carolina: Haley Narrows Senate Appointment Pool to 5 Candidates

The shortlist for the Senate appointment in South Carolina includes freshmen GOP Reps. Trey Gowdy (left) and Tim Scott. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated: 1:27 p.m. | South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley has narrowed the candidate list to replace resigning Republican Sen. Jim DeMint to five candidates, according to CNN.

Speculation has centered on Rep. Tim Scott, but there are some other interesting names on her shortlist. Besides Scott, four more South Carolina Republicans are in the mix: Rep. Trey Gowdy, former state Attorney General Henry McMaster, former South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford, and state Department of Health and Environmental Control Director Catherine B. Templeton.

As CNN notes, one notable name omitted from the list is freshman Republican Rep. Mick Mulvaney.

“As has always been our policy, we do not comment on any aspect of an appointment process until the appointment is finalized,” Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey wrote in an email.

Haley announced on Monday she would not be appointing a caretaker for the job. Her pick is expected to be made as early as this week.

South Carolina: Haley Rejects Placeholder, Putting Focus Squarely on Scott

Haley could make her Senate pick known this week. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Gov. Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina has rejected the possibility that she will appoint a temporary caretaker to replace Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, who is resigning effective in January.

“I do not want to tie the next U.S. Senator from South Carolina’s hands regarding future office,” she wrote in a statement Monday. “I do not want to deprive our state’s citizens of the chance to render their judgment on the appointee’s performance by way of their vote. Most importantly, while I am an avid supporter of term limits, I do not want the effectiveness of our state’s new U.S. Senator to be undermined by the fact that he or she will automatically be leaving the office such a very short time after assuming it.” Full story

Haley Will Not Run for Senate in 2014

South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki R. Haley will not be a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat this cycle. “The governor will not run for the Senate in 2014,” spokesman Rob Godfrey told CQ Roll Call. “She absolutely loves the job she has.”

Sen. Jim DeMint announced Thursday that he would resign his seat in January, leaving Haley to pick a replacement to will serve through the 113th Congress. A special election will be held in November 2014 to fill the remainder of DeMint’s term, which ends in January 2017.

Palmetto State GOP operatives had floated the idea the first-term chief executive might run for the seat after appointing a placeholder candidate who would not run in the special.

The conventional wisdom among GOP operatives in the state remains that the top contender for the seat is conservative freshman Rep. Tim Scott.

South Carolina: Haley to Move ‘Quickly’ on Appointing DeMint Replacement

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki R. Haley will “quickly” appoint someone to fill the seat of resigning Sen. Jim DeMint, she said Friday morning.

“Appointing a new member of the U.S. Senate is a solemn duty, and I take this responsibility with utmost seriousness,” Haley said in a statement. “I will make this decision in a manner that is thoughtful and dignified, but also quickly.”

The first-term governor knocked down the possibility that she might appoint herself and said she would appoint a conservative. Full story

South Carolina: Who Will Haley Appoint to the Senate?

Scott is among the contenders in the mix to be appointed to the Senate. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The political question of the hour has become: Who will South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki R. Haley appoint to fill the open Senate seat held by resigning Sen. Jim DeMint?

There is a bevy of ambitious Republicans in the state, but a few names float to the top of the list. Conservative freshman Rep. Tim Scott, a favorite of the grass roots, is seen as a top contender. A number of GOP insiders in the state also mentioned Henry McMaster, the former state attorney general who ran against Haley in the 2010 gubernatorial primary but gave his strong support to her in the GOP runoff, campaigning for her around the state. Full story