Democrats Clash in Feisty SC42 Debate

There is a sports cliché that says “Don’t leave anything on the field.” That aphorism could have also applied to the Democratic debate for Senate District 42 on Tuesday evening.

Held at Trident Tech and moderated by WCBD’s Carolyn Murray, the debate featured all six Democrats in the race: Emmanuel Ferguson, Herbert Fielding, Marlon Kimpson, Margaret Rush, Bob Thompson and Maurice Washington.

The themes that emerged from the night were supporting Barack Obama’s agenda, standing up to Gov. Nikki Haley and improving the employment outlook for residents in District 42. 

After a round or so of questions and answers, the candidates began to respond to each other's positions, if not always in explicit fashion. When asked to what degree he would support President Obama’s agenda, Washington began by noting that he had voted for Obama twice. Washington has been accused of being a Republican and as he spoke several in the audience of about 250 grumbled. Kimpson seemed surprised that Washington would make such a claim.

Kimpson, meanwhile, drew out his opponents with some of his own answers. Throughout the debate, Ferguson, Fielding and Rush reminded voters that their vote was “not for sale” and they “don’t owe anyone anything,” a reference to the fact that Kimpson has raised the most money in the race and is presumably beholden to those donors.

When a question about the level of incarceration among young black men was asked, Ferguson, who works in the Charleston County Solicitor’s Office, asked Kimpson, who is a trial attorney, how many low-level drug offenders he had represented. Kimpson did not respond.

After the debate, Kimpson told Patch he was not surprised he was targeted by his rivals. “We’re running a first-class campaign and the fact that we’re leading in fundraising means that our message is getting through, people are gravitating toward us,’ Kimpson said.  He also said it’s important that whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee in District 42 be a standard bearer for Democrats in the state.

“We have a major opportunity to put a real Democrat in this seat and I worked for the last Democrat to be elected governor in this state,” Kimpson said. 

If the race were to be decided on candidate enthusiasm alone, Ferguson might be the favorite. As the youngest person in the field, he stressed his work ethic and his biography, having worked his way through law school. When asked about school vouchers, Ferguson did not even let the moderator finish the question, coming out forcefully against school choice.

Fielding emphasized his own lengthy ties to the community. His father was the first African-American State Senator to be elected in South Carolina since Reconstruction. Fielding also returned to the theme of opportunity both as businesses and individuals. “Yes, jobs, education and economic development are very important,” Fielding said. “But we also can’t continue to ignore the tremendous opportunity we have here to create jobs and economic growth through alternative energy sources, particularly solar.”

Much like Fielding, Rush focused on her ties to the community and her work as a legislative aide and in the construction industry. Rush did not conceal the fact she was appealing to female voters directly. “Democratic women don’t have a voice in the Senate and I plan on being that voice,” she told Patch after the debate, adding that there was only one woman in the 46-person Senate. Rush did not hesitate when asked about the issue most frequently raised to voters.

“Getting people health care is the number one issue in this race. We need to send someone to Columbia who understands that. If the federal government is willing to pay 100 percent of health care for three years, why would you make your residents pay more to get health care on their own?” Rush asked rhetorically.

Washington, castigated by the Charleston County Democratic Chair for actually being Republican, was watched closely by audience members. A trustee at South Carolina State through this year, Washington held to the liberal view with his answers in an attempt to silence his doubters.

The special election was necessitated by the resignation of former Sen. Robert Ford, who stepped down amid an ethics investigation. Ford has endorsed Washington to be his replacement.

The six candidates have one week to solidify support and confirm turnout—the election is next Tuesday, Aug. 13.

In the event no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote plus one, a run-off election featuring the top two vote-getters will be held on Aug. 27. The general election is slated for Oct. 1.

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