Monday, September 5, 2011
But Perry's absence still dominated conversation
The biggest winner in the Palmetto Freedom Forum in Columbia on Monday may have been the South Carolina electorate. While the media focused on which presidential candidate said what and how it might affect the endorsement game, the organizers of the event and the candidates themselves praised a format that allowed the Republicans vying for the nomination to speak at length in response to questions from panelists. See the highlights of the event as it happened. Candidates who were polling above 5 percent in the Real Clear Politics poll as of Aug. 22 were invited. Rick Perry, the Texas governor and frontrunner had to remove himself from the event earlier in the day to assess the damages brushfires have done to his state. The other candidates…
Voters said they liked being able to focus on one candidate at a time and not have to hear the bickering between candidates
Accustomed more to solo campaign events or debates that feature more style than substance, many among the 500 or so attendees at Monday's Palmetto Freedom Forum gave the event format an enthusiastic thumbs up. At the nationally televised forum in Columbia, hosted by U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint and the conservative American Principles Project, each candidate was given 22 minutes alone on stage under the bright lights, and subjected to a series of questions posed by a three-person panel of questioners that included DeMint, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), and APP founder Robert George. With other candidates sequestered backstage, individual candidates had the opportunity to respond at length to questions dealing with such things as the economy, defense, …
Mick Mulvaney endorses Perry and will join the Texas governor's economic team
Though he was not in attendance at today’s Palmetto Freedom Forum, Texas Gov. Rick Perry still managed to garner headlines. He did so by virtue of the endorsement of Mick Mulvaney, a Republican who represents the 5th District in South Carolina's Pee Dee. After the two-hour forum, Mulvaney not only stumped for Perry, but announced he’ll be joining the Texas governor’s economic team. In a quickly arranged press conference, Mulvaney said he has been in contact with each of the candidates, but it was Perry who approached him about offering up solutions to the country’s economic problems. Mulvaney’s endorsement comes not long after fellow Congressman Trey Gowdy, a Republican who represents Spartanburg and surrounding counties in the 4th …
Perry spoke this morning at a town hall meeting held in Myrtle Beach
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Monday, September 5, 2011
Texas Governor Rick Perry won't attend the Palmetto Freedom Forum as scheduled on Monday. The governor's press office confirmed for CNN that Perry will return to Texas following a town hall meeting in Myrtle Beach to address wildfire problems in Texas. Perry was scheduled to attend Senator Jim DeMint's forum of Republican presidential contenders in Columbia at 3 p.m.
S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis says the former Massachusetts governor is the one to beat Obama.
As Patch reported was a distinct possibility last week, Treasurer Curtis Loftis joined former Gov. Mitt Romney's S.C. team. Loftis will serve as the state chair for Romney's campaign, it was announced this morning. “I am proud to announce State Treasurer Curtis Loftis’ support,” Romney said in a release. “South Carolina is an important part of my campaign and I look forward to working with Curtis as I travel across the state spreading my pro-growth message.” “Mitt Romney has the experience and record South Carolina voters are looking for in the next president,” Loftis said in the release. “He has worked in the real economy and created jobs and cut spending as governor. These are the qualities that South Carolinians want in the person to …
The Labor Day event has drawn five of the top six Republican candidates to South Carolina for one event.
We're here for live, minute-by-minute coverage of the American Principles Project Labor Day Forum, hosted by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Columbia forum will be the first with all of the GOP frontrunners since Perry joined the race.
The idea that U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint could lead an event such as the Palmetto Freedom Forum seemed very unlikely during the last election cycle. DeMint (R-S.C.) had alienated the mainstream of the Republican Party by endorsing and helping raise money for insurgent candidates like Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Pat Toomey. But when they defeated more established — if somewhat less conservative — incumbents, DeMint suddenly found himself being called a “kingmaker” and surpassing U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham as the most influential politician in South Carolina. Now, that he has attained a level of power, DeMint has shown a willingness to use it, with the Freedom Forum on Labor Day being a case in point. The Forum has been organized by the American …
Julian Alien
7:26 pm on Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Wait till they find out about the candidates.Rick Perry wants to eliminate the Texas/Mexico border creating "Spanish speaking America"?Mitt hires Guatemalans to do his yardwork in Mass.,so I wouldn't trust him with your child's future either(think gang colors and barrios).Perry has spoken to La Raza,and by doing so is accepting that they have a right to exist,and for those of you uninformed on … more ›