South Carolina Politics

South Carolina Political History, Its Fifth Congressional District and Representatives David Taylor, Jr. Liberty University, GOVT 220

South Carolina Politics Table of Contents

South Carolina Political History, Its Fifth Congressional District and Representatives ................ 1 David Taylor, Jr. ............................................................................................................................. 1 Liberty University, GOVT 220 ....................................................................................................... 1 Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 2 Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 3 South Carolina Political History, Its Fifth Congressional District and Representatives ....... 4 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 Representative Mick Mulvaney (R) ............................................................................................ 5 Key Issues ................................................................................................................................... 5 Interest Group Ratings ................................................................................................................ 5 Stances ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Liberal or Conservative............................................................................................................... 6 Senator Jim DeMint (R) ............................................................................................................... 6 Key Issues ................................................................................................................................... 7 Interest Group Ratings ................................................................................................................ 7 Stances ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Liberal or Conservative............................................................................................................... 8 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Works Cited .................................................................................................................................... 8

South Carolina Politics Abstract This observation piece will explore the history of South Carolina Politics with a focus on the states Fifth Congressional District. We will look in depth at Representative Mick Mulvaney, and United States Senator, Jim DeMint, their political standings and ratings, and whether or not they should be considered liberal or conservative.

South Carolina Politics South Carolina Political History, Its Fifth Congressional District and Representatives Introduction

South Carolina has had a rich political history dating back to the beginning of the United States as one of the original thirteen colonies. Until the mid-1960s the state was predominately associated with the Democrat Party. This changed when United States Senator Strom Thurmond changed parties from Democrat to Republican in 1964 (Wikipedia, 2012). Since the move, the state has had a strong shift toward the Republican Party and has voted for a Republican presidential candidate each year since 1972 except for the 1976 election (270towin.com, 2012). The state has often been described as underdeveloped until recent years. Its population is 64.1% white, 27.7% black, and 5.1% Hispanic. The median income is $43,480. (Barone, 2011) South Carolinas Fifth Congressional District is predominately rural and leans toward the Democrat party with the exception of the more urban suburb of Charlotte, York County (Wikipedia, 2012). District 5 has a median age of 35.5. The district is 64.9% white, 32.3% black, and 1.8% Hispanic. The average income of the district is $35,416. (Washington Post, 2007) District 5 had had a long history of supporting Democrats for office as they sent John Spratt (D) to Congress from 1983 until 2010. Many Republicans tried to oust Spratt and failed. The closest one being Ralph Norman in 2006. (National Journal, 2011) However, a shift in 2010 led to the election of Representative Mick Mulvaney (R) (Congress Merge, 2012) as a shift in politics was taking place. The current representatives for South Carolina, and South Carolina District 5 are, Representative Mick Mulvaney (2010 to Present), Senator Lindsey Graham (2002 to Present),

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and Senator Jim DeMint (2004 to Present). This paper will review Representative Mulvaney, and Senator DeMint. Representative Mick Mulvaney (R) Mick Mulvaney was elected to Congress in 2010 beating long-time incumbent John Spratt (United States Congress, 2012). He won the district with 55% of the vote, and won 63% of the votes in the areas closest to Charlotte, NC. (Barone, 2011) Representative Mulvaney attended Georgetown University and majored in International Economics. He practiced law from 1992 until 2000. He was elected to the SC House in 2006, and in 2008 ran for a vacant seat in the SC Senate. He is a member of St. Phillip Neri Catholic Church. (Mulvaney, About Mick, 2012) Key Issues Mulvaney lists his key issues as Agriculture, Budget, Family Values, Health Care, Homeland Security, Immigration, Jobs/Economy, National Defense, and the Second Amendment. (Mulvaney, Issues, 2012) Interest Group Ratings Mulvaney receives high ratings from most conservative groups. Here are a few: National Right to life 100%, Gun owners of America 100%, Family Research Council 100%. (Project VoteSmart, 2012) Mulvaney also received a 100% rating from the American Conservative Union in 2011. (American Conservative Union, 2012) The Christian Coalition rated Mulvaney at 100% as well. (Christian Coalition of America, 2012) Liberal groups are not as fond of Representative Mulvaney. The NARAL Pro-Choice America rated him at 0%, National Journal Liberal on Social Policy gave him 0%. (Project VoteSmart, 2012) The ACLU rated him at 0% as well. (American Civil Liberties Union, 2012)

South Carolina Politics Mulvaney is not currently listed in the voting records from Americans for Democratic Action. (Americans for Democratic Action, 2011) Stances Mulvaney is pro-life, does not support government spending money to stimulate the economy, does not support public mandated health-care, does not support gun control, and supports traditional marriage. (Project Vote Smart, 2012) Liberal or Conservative Though Mulvaney is still in his first term, he appears to be appealing to his conservative base while in congress. His voting record supports this, and he stands firm on his positions as can be attested to with his interest group ratings. His stance appears to be that government should only handle things that were expressly given to them by the United States Constitution and let the rest be handled by the States. This in of itself is a very conservative position and in line with what I believe the Founding Fathers to have intended. Senator Jim DeMint (R) According to his website, Jim DeMint is considered to be one of the most effective conservative leaders in Washington today. He was elected chairman of the Senate Steering Committee in late 2006, and delivered the keynote address to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2010. He resides in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife, Debbie, and are the proud parents of four children. (DeMint, Team DeMint - About, 2012) Jim was first elected as US Senator for South Carolina in 2004 and was the states 55th US Senator. (DeMint, About Jim, 2012) DeMint received 61% of the South Carolina vote in 2010.

He has been consistently in the top conservative category by the National Journal. It was thought that he would run for President in 2012 due to his prominent role in the Senate, but he delivered

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keynote speeches for other candidates in the election. He has also published two books about his political ideals. (Barone, 2011) Key Issues Senator DeMint lists his key issues as Border Security, Economic Growth, Education, Family Values, Health Care, National Security, Retirement Security, Transportation and Technology, Veterans, and Wasteful Spending. (DeMint, Key Issues , 2012) Interest Group Ratings Like Representative Mulvaney, Senator DeMint often has high scores with conservative interest groups. In 2010 DeMint received a 100% rating from Citizens Against Government Waste. In 2009-2010 he received a 100% rating from the American Family Association. In 2010 he had a reported lifetime score of 99% from the American Conservative Union. In 2011 he received a 100% rating from the National Taxpayers Union, and also a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee. (Project Vote Smart, 2012) In 2011 DeMint received a 100% rating from the American Conservative Union and has a lifetime rating of 98.77%. (American Conservative Union, 2012) In 2011, DeMint also received a 100% rating from the Christian Coalition. (Christian Coalition of America, 2012) Also similar to Mulvaney, Senator DeMint usually receives extremely low scores from liberal interest groups. In 2010 the NARAL Pro-Choice America rated him 0% as did Planned Parenthood. In 2011, National Journal gave him 0% on Liberal Social Policy. In 2009-2010 the Human Rights Campaign rated him at 0%. In 2009-2010 the American Immigration Lawyers Association rated him at 0%, and in 2010 the American Federation of Government Employees rated him at 0%. (Project Vote Smart, 2012) Senator DeMint receives a lifetime rating of 13% from the American Civil Liberties Union. (American Civil Liberties Union, 2012) In 2010

South Carolina Politics DeMint received a 5% rating from Americans for Democratic Action. (Americans for Democratic Action, 2011) Stances Senator DeMint is Pro-Life, does not support using government funds to stimulate the economy, supports capital punishment, does not support gun restrictions, does not want to make

a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, does not support public health care, and believes in traditional marriage. (Project Vote Smart, 2012) Liberal or Conservative Senator DeMint is a self-proclaimed conservative leader and has the record to prove it. He does not support big government, and wants to keep the rights of states with the states. He has won the approval of conservative groups and shares their ideals. It is safe to say that Jim DeMint is a true conservative with conservative values. Conclusion The state of South Carolina and its fifth district have made a significant swing over the last few years toward conservative politics. They have chosen representatives who follow these ideals and represent them well in Washington. They are a state that does not want government taking control. They have held this ideal since before the Civil War as they were the first to succeed from the Union. Today they still want conservative in Washington and express that in the way they vote. Works Cited 270towin.com. (2012). South Carolina Presidential Election Voting History. Retrieved from 270 To Win: http://www.270towin.com/states/South_Carolina American Civil Liberties Union. (2012). ACLU: Your Representatives Scorecard. Retrieved from ACLU: http://action.aclu.org/site/VoteCenter?page=combLegScore American Conservative Union. (2012). Ratings Archive. Retrieved from Conservative.org: http://conservative.org/ratings/ratingsarchive/2011/unified.html#SC

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Americans for Democratic Action. (2011). The ADA 2010 Voting Record: 111th Congress, 2nd Session. Washington, DC: Americans for Democratic Action. Barone, M. (2011). The Almanac of American Politics. In M. Barone, 2012 The Alamanac of American Politics (pp. 1444-1459). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Christian Coalition of America. (2012). The Christian Coalition Scorecard. Washington, DC: Christian Coalition of America. Congress Merge. (2012). Information on Rpresentative Mick Mulvaney. Retrieved from Congress Merge: http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/cgibin/newmemberbio.cgi?lang=&member=SC05&site=congressmerge DeMint, J. (2012). About Jim. Retrieved from United States Senator Jim DeMint: http://www.demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=AboutJim DeMint, J. (2012). Key Issues . Retrieved from United States Senator Jim DeMint: http://www.demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=KeyIssues DeMint, J. (2012). Team DeMint - About. Retrieved from Team DeMint: http://teamdemint.com/site/about Mulvaney, M. (2012). About Mick. Retrieved from Mulvaney for Congress: http://www.mulvaneyforcongress.com/about/ Mulvaney, M. (2012). Issues. Retrieved from Representative Mick Mulvaney: http://mulvaney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34&Itemid =266 National Journal. (2011, July 1). Rep. John Spratt - The Almanac of American Politics. Retrieved from National Journal: http://www.nationaljournal.com/almanac/person/john-spratt-sc/ Project Vote Smart. (2012). James DeMint - Political Courage Test. Retrieved from Project Vote Smart: http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/25026/james-demint/ Project Vote Smart. (2012). James DeMint - Ratings and Endorsements. Retrieved from Project Vote Smart: http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/25026/james-demint Project Vote Smart. (2012). Mick Mulvaney - Political Courage Test. Retrieved from Project Vote Smart: http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/60348/michaelmulvaney/ Project VoteSmart. (2012). Mick Mulvaney - Ratings and Endorsements. Retrieved from Project Vote Smart: http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/60348/michael-mulvaney United States Congress. (2012). John McKee Spratt Jr. Retrieved from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000749 Washington Post. (2007). South Carolina Census Data. Retrieved April 22, 2012, from Washington Post Politics: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008/elections/sc/census/5/ Wikipedia. (2012, March 9). Politics of South Carolina. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_South_Carolina Wikipedia. (2012, February 17). South Carolina's 5th Congressional District. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina's_5th_congressional_district