As if we needed any more confirmation that the
Repubs are running scared:
Whenever S.C. Republican leaders have talked up Ralph Norman's chances of unseating veteran Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. John Spratt in the Nov. 7 election, they have predicted that Norman would have financial resources unprecedented for a GOP candidate in the 5th Congressional District.
Now, however, a big chunk of those resources has evaporated.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) this week canceled $820,000 of the $1.3 million in TV time on Charlotte stations that it had reserved for commercials in Norman's behalf.
Although Norman is still considered the top Repub challenger in the country, the Repubs are in trouble in districts where they never expected to have any worries--and they had to get some extra ad money somewhere. That should be music to any Dem's ears.
For those who don't know, SC-5 is located in the north-central portion of the state. It includes all of 11 counties and portions of three others. The bulk of the population, however, is in the three counties that make up the South Carolina portion of the Charlotte metro--York, Chester and Lancaster counties.
Spratt has held this district since 1983, and is the only white Democrat left in the South Carolina delegation. He is ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee--and when we get the House in November, he will be one of at least two Charlotte-area congressmen to be a committee chairman or subcommittee chairman (the other one is my congressman, Mel Watt--he will be chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law).
The district is a classic "purple" district--it voted for Clinton in '92 and '96, but voted for Shrub in '00 and '04. The Repubs have been salivating at this district for some time now, since York County (Rock Hill)--by far the biggest county in the district, and one of the fastest-growing areas in the South--is turning redder and redder by the minute. Even though Spratt is from York, in one recent election he barely got 50% of the vote in York County. Still, he's managed to hold on because the Charlotte market has become a very expensive place to advertise in recent years.
It looks like the Repubs are ceding this race to Spratt ... which means that we in the Charlotte area can breathe easy for another two years. If and when Spratt retires, this is gonna be a barnburner. Hopefully he'll wait awhile to retire ... we're gonna need him to help clean up the mess the Repubs have left on the budget.