This is a great ad:
http://www.fitsnews.com/...
Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff Leon Lott – one of the most popular elected officials in the Midlands region of South Carolina – is the star of a new television ad supporting Democratic gubernatorial nominee Vincent Sheheen.
According to Lott, “Vincent Sheheen is a former prosecutor who won’t play politics with children’s lives.”
“Vincent will clean up Nikki Haley’s mess and protect our children,” Lott says.
Lott is referring to the ongoing scandals surrounding Haley’s Department of Social Services (SCDSS) – most of which were first exposed here on FITS. Specifically, he’s zeroing in on this tragedy – which occurred in his home county.
Despite the rash of scandals at SCDSS, Haley has continued to stand by her political appointee at the agency – a “doubling down” on failure addressed by Sheheen’s ad. - FITS News, 5/28/14
Here's a little more info:
http://www.postandcourier.com/...
Sheheen's campaign said the ad buy was in the six figures and would run statewide starting Wednesday.
DSS hearings and calls from Democrats for agency director Lillian Koller to step down have dominated discussion in the Statehouse in recent weeks. Koller has twice appeared before a Senate panel looking into problems at DSS to testify about worker caseloads and other issues at the department.
Allegations include that Koller's goals prioritize numbers instead of children's welfare. Koller and the Haley administration dispute that.
Richland County has been called "ground zero" for the agency's problems, following child deaths that some have blamed on the agency.
In the ad, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says Haley's administration is "covering up" failures. - The Post and Courier, 5/28/14
Sheheen has been hitting Haley on this and this ad helps amplify his attacks:
http://www.thestate.com/...
Sheheen and others have called on Haley to fire Social Services Director Lillian Koller amid reports of mismanagement and cases where children involved in Social Services have died. Some of the more prominent cases discussed publicly occurred in Richland County.
Haley has supported her Cabinet chief, saying the state's child-welfare agency has improved under Koller's leadership. Haley also recently announced a plan to focus more Social Services resources on improving services at the agency's Richland County office. - The State, 5/28/14
Sheheen's been making this an issue for a little while now:
http://www.thestate.com/...
State Sen. Vincent Sheheen, the Democratic challenger for governor, has called for a special committee to investigate allegations that Republican Gov. Nikki Haley and her staff tried to obstruct a Senate probe into child deaths related to the S.C. Department of Social Services.
Sheheen's request came after Sen. Katrina Shealy, a Lexington Republican who sits on a three-member DSS investigative panel, told The (Columbia) Free Times that she met with two Haley staffers who said the senator's questioning of the agency's response to child deaths "looked embarrassing."
"It has become increasingly clear that Gov. Haley and her administration have stonewalled the investigation into children's endangerment from within DSS, and even used the power of the Governor's office to try to cover-up the problem through pressure and intimidation," Sheheen, D-Kershaw, wrote in a letter to Senate President Pro Tempore John Courson, R-Richland, on Thursday. "It is time to find out just how deep this deception and abuse of power goes." - The State, 5/1/14
That's not the only thing Sheheen's been hitting Haley on:
http://www.postandcourier.com/...
Two S.C. Senate Democrats accused Gov. Nikki Haley of a "cover-up" Thursday and called on her office to release a report into the hacking of personal information for millions of South Carolina residents.
Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Camden, Haley's opponent in November's gubernatorial election, wanted to place a directive into the state budget to require that a report from cybersecurity firm Mandiant be released. Senators first voted to kill the measure, which failed after Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell cast the tie-breaking vote. It later failed on a technicality but Sheheen said he would try again as budget debates continue.
The report details the 2012 hacking of more than 6 million South Carolinians through information illegally obtained through the Department of Revenue. It includes information from a U.S. Secret Service investigation, senators said.
Sheheen said that Haley's administration should have authorized the release of the report in the name of transparency since it occurred two years ago. Legislators are allowed to view the report but must sign confidentiality agreements to view it. Sheheen said he would not do so because he believes it needs to be released. - The Post and Courier, 5/8/14
And Sheheen's been getting some help from a potential Presidential contender:
http://www.thestate.com/...
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is in South Carolina to campaign for state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden, the Democratic candidate for governor.
O’Malley had a meet-and-greet in Charleston on Friday. O’Malley and Sheheen also had a media availability scheduled.
O’Malley says in a fundraising letter sent from his political action committee that he plans to do “quite a bit” more traveling this summer to help elect Democrats nationwide.
O’Malley campaigned for Sheheen last year, when he was the keynote speaker at a convention for S.C. Democrats. - The State, 5/9/14
Lets help keep Sheheen's ad on the air. Click here if you want to donate and get involved with his campaign:
http://vincentsheheen.com/