Delegates Vote Down Opposition to Gas Tax Increase
Senator Ted Cruz won the Greenville County Republican Party straw poll Saturday. Cruz received 80 of the more than 200 votes cast. Gov. Scott Walker received 64 votes with Senators Santorum and Rubio receiving 23 each. Cruz and Walker, likewise, took first and second place in the Spartanburg County Republican Straw Poll.
Only presidential candidates Santorum and Governor Kasich who received votes in the single digits spoke at the convention. Mike Huckabee, who was advertised as one of the speakers, failed to appear. Huckabee received ten votes, trailing Jeb Bush with 14.
South Carolina’s Senior Senator Lindsey Graham, who is a potential candidate, received only ten votes. All other candidates were in the single digits.
Neither Congressman who represents Greenville County dropped in or sent a message. In fact, no Senator or Congressman from South Carolina attended the convention.
Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster came to the convention to introduce his friend Rick Santorum. No other state level officials were in attendance. No one introduced Gov. John Kasich. It was his second visit to Greenville. He had been here 15 years ago as a guest of then Congressman Bob Inglis.
A proposed measure expressing opposition to a gasoline tax increase under consideration in the State Legislature, failed narrowly by a vote of 96 to 99 as the delegation attendance dwindled below 200. The gas tax vote demonstrated the change in makeup of delegates since the Conservative no-tax increase delegation of 2013.
Incumbent chairman Chad Groover, who had campaigned heavily for reelection, was challenged at the last minute from the floor. The challenger, Justin Alexander, who was unknown to the many newcomers to the party, received 74 votes, giving the incumbent a clear win.
Suzette Jordan ousted State Executive Committeeman Jim Lee, the only remaining party official with Tea Party ties. Jordan is an employee in the Greenville office of Fourth District Congressman Trey Gowdy.
Former South Carolina House Speaker and Ambassador to Canada and current chairman of the Clemson University Board of Trustees, the honorable David Wilkins served as Convention President.
Following the presentation of awards by the County Chairman, John Warren, CEO of Lima One Capital, South Carolina’s fastest growing company, challenged the delegates to recognize the service and sacrifices of military veterans and their unique qualifications as employees as a US Marine Corp Captain, Warren, led Marines on numerous combat missions in Iraq.
The Convention under the leadership of Ambassador Wilkins went smoothly. The logistics of the Convention, however, went lacking. Some elderly delegates and those with disabilities who did not have a driver became discouraged with the parking situation and did not attend.
All of the TD center parking areas as well as all handicapped parking was reserved for other groups and guards prohibited Republican delegates from parking there. The only other available parking was at the Down Town Airport. No shuttle service was available.
The convention was held on the ground floor of the TD Center just inside the front main entrance. The only place Republican delegates were allowed to park was at the airport on the opposite side of the Center. The shortest route to the convention was down the street, through a wooded area, and through the rear ground entrance. Once inside the building, you must go to the second floor, around the entire complex and back down to the first floor near the front entrance.
Some delegates were fortunate to be offered help by others.
One delegate who had surgery earlier in the week and was unable to walk the long distance, pleaded with parking guards to allow him to park in a handicap space to no avail. He remembered that he had a pass to the gun show. That would allow him to park in a handicap space near the convenient front entrance where the convention was held.
No explanation nor apologies were made for the snafu.
