Monday, June 11, 2012

It's Crunch Time !!!

We Get Back From New York Just in Time To See the Candidates In Their Last Minute Push Before Primary Day....


     Sorry everybody.... We made it back to South Carolina today. No late night accidents on the way back unfortunately.  Although we could use some sleep, we're raring to go and raise some hell again!  Or maybe just report what happened.  After all, we're not THAT ready....


    Yep, we made it in at 930 this morning after a smooth 10 1/2 hour ride from Long Island - just in time to stop by Andre Bauer's meet and greet.  In this last day of campaigning, Bauer made a day of it in Flotown.  He did his usual sign wave at Five Points, then checked in at Bill Pickle's radio show from Schofield's before having a lunch meet and greet at New York Butcher Shoppe on Hoffmeyer Rd, which is where we caught up with him.....


    For such a small plce, it was pretty well attended. We got there late, and there were still 20 people there, which is standing room only... There were a few familiar faces there, but you never know if they're just stopping by, or are actual supporters, so for once, we'll skip names.  I did speak to Pickle for a decent amount of time about the race ,how the candidates were faring, and all the calls he got on his radio show today, which we caught from Lumberton to Flotown.  For all the critiquing we've done at Bill, he does take it all in stride and sees it how we mean it - as our way of making the party better...





No, the banner behind them is for the butcher, not Andre - although he hopes to grind the other candidates into fine ground meat!  It's the likely frontrunner with 'Grumpy' Bill Pickle!








   I managed to talk Bill into being in the picture, as long as I promised that I mentioned he is staying neutral in the 7th District race.  We don't want to start any trouble here.   Speaking of trouble, for seven of the nine candidates, it all ends tomorrow. With a field this loaded, anyone getting 50% of the vote is an impossibility, so tomorrow is just like Jim Valvano used to do the NCAA Tournament - just survive and advance.  Once we have the final two, then you strategize for June 26th...


   Needless to say, we can never stay away from predictions, so who will the Top Two be?  The first is pretty easy... Andre bauer has been in first in every poll taken from start to finish.  Maybe not by a ton, but he's been in the low to mid 30's from all the internal polls.  The big question is who gets the second golden ticket, Charlie Bucket?  It's pretty much a 3 man race between Chad Prosser, Tom Rice and Jay Jordan.  So, what do we think???


    In races like these, we tend to go with the one trending up as the election nears.  That doesn't appear to be Rice. He's been up there, but when you lack the external fire to jack up the voters, you don't get much of a groundswell.  Chad Prosser did take the Elephant Stampede in Myrtle Beach this weekend, but we have a rule - Straw Polls don't mean jack, and never will.  He seems to be trending upward, but not as fast as Jay Jordan...


   No, we don't mix our religion and politics, but a lot of people in Florence do, and the race is all about finding a niche and distinguishing yourself from the rest of the field.  It's not our cup of tea, but Jay Jordan, with the Bible in one hand and the Constitution in the other - along with a ton of cash from Florence Baptist Temple for mailers - seems to have caught fire in the Pee Dee, along with some movement in the Grand Strand.  Not a ton, but enough to place second and advance? We think so.....


    Yeah, it helps being the only candidate who currently lives in the Pee Dee.  We thought there was an outside chance that Katherine Jenerette could make a move if she got a concerted block of female votes, but that hasn't seemed to occur.  Obviously, tomorrow will be determined by who gets the vote out.  Rice, Prosser and Jordan are going to be tight, and if there is one thing the Florence GOP does well, it's getting these rabid supporters to the polls...

Bauer 30%, Jordan 22%, Rice 19%, Prosser 14%, Jenerette 6%, Wallace 5%, Withington 2%, Mader 1%, Culler 1%....


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2 comments:

Katherine said...

Welcome back! This is the moment for the 'Bad Boy Blogger' to make his mark! I'm out on the road - gotta love the last minute try! Take care ~ Katherine

Hamilton Wright said...

Good analysis but there is a fly in the soup that it appears mostly forgotten. It's the Florence mayor race. Wuekela and Jordan both have supporters in the city limits. these supporters can vote in either the democrat or repubican primary but not both. From what I have heard from my neighbors many are voting for Wuekela so that is votes that wont be for Jordan.