The sleepy SC governor's race could get interesting if State Sen. Jake Knotts
enters the race as an independent.
State Sen. Jake Knotts picked up a batch of petition forms from the State Election Commission on Thursday, the latest sign the Lexington County Republican might run for governor as an independent.
"There's a lot of sentiment out there to do it," he said, citing a "flood" of phone calls and e-mails he has received the last week urging him to take the plunge.
Knotts, though, isn't set on making a run, citing concerns over fundraising and the steep path to winning [...]
"I don't have the money. And it takes a lot of money to run statewide. I don't want to run just to be a spoiler," he said [...]
Knotts' motivation rests with his dissatisfaction with incumbent Republican Gov. Mark Sanford and his interest in making a point. State Sen. Tommy Moore, D-Aiken, is also in the race [...]
"The simple answer is (Knotts entering) would help the Democrats because it would split the conservative Republican vote in this state and likely elect (Democratic gubernatorial nominee)Tommy Moore," Francis Marion University professor Neal Thigpen said.
Seems like a longshot.