Quote of the Day (October 13, 2010)

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Tim Scott, congressional candidate in SC-01:

"Her [Sarah Palin's] endorsement increased our lead, without any question."

- JP

The Hill: Sarah Palin racks up two more wins

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At the Ballot Box, The Hill's campaign blog, Shane D'Aprile gives Sarah Palin due credit for helping two South Carolina Republicans who received the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate's endorsements achieve victory in Tuesday's runoff elections:

Palin had endorsed gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley and publicly stuck with her amidst allegations of an extra-marital affair. She also endorsed Republican Tim Scott against Paul Thurmond in South Carolina's 1st congressional district.

That makes Palin two for two Tuesday -- she stayed out of the Republican Senate runoff in Utah between Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee. That brings Palin's win-loss record for this cycle to 9-3, according to an analysis by The Hill.

But The Hill's analysis is not quite accurate.

The Beltway newspaper lists as wins for Gov. Palin Senate candidates Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul and Rob Portman; gubernatorial candidates Terry Branstad, Nikki Haley, Susana Martinez and Rick Perry; plus congressional candidates Tim Scott and Adam Kinzinger. But our extensive research revealed no formal endorsement of Portman by Gov. Palin, only a contribution to his campaign by SarahPAC, her political action committee. Also, the Palin endorsement of Kinzinger was made in March, the month after that candidate had already secured his GOP nomination. The Hill also overlooked the former governor's endorsements of Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie, so adding those two and subtracting Portman and Kinzinger (at least until the November general election), she still has nine wins.

The Hill lists her losses as Burns, Ward and Bledsoe, but Gov. Palin had also endorsed Doug Hoffman, who narrowly lost in New York's 23rd Congressional District. So she has four losses -- all in congressional races, by the way, where she is more likely to support the underdog. In contrast, Mitt Romney has fared better with his endorsements -- 13 wins and one loss -- but as D'Aprile notes, the former investment banker has taken a more risk-averse approach:

Unlike Palin, Romney has opted to avoid the cycle's most contested Republican primaries. While Palin backed Ward in Idaho's 1st district primary in May, Romney stayed out of the race until after the primary. The day after, Romney made several endorsements in the state, including the candidate who defeated Ward, state Rep. Raul Labrador.

Romney had endorsed Utah Sen. Bob Bennett who was forced off the ballot at the GOP state convention in May.

- JP

The Campaign Spot: South Carolinians Go to the Polls Again

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It's runoff day in The Palmetto State, and two of Sarah Palin's endorsements are on the line in the candidacies of Nikky Haley and Tim Scott:

In South Carolina, Republicans will pick their gubernatorial nominee between Nikki Haley and Gresham Barrett. The past two weeks have seen no anti-Haley bombshells, so she is expected to win; in the first round, she had 49 percent to about 22 percent for Barrett. But because a little over 50 percent voted for someone else last time, it’s possible this might not be the rout that the first round’s results would suggest. Haley represents overturning the established order of Palmetto State GOP politics, and there are a lot of folks who are comfortable with the way things are already.

[...]

Down-ticket in South Carolina’s 1st congressional district is the GOP runoff for U.S. House; Tim Scott is expected to finish ahead of Paul Thurmond, son of the longtime senator. This is an R+10 district, and so the winner is likely to go on to win in November; if elected, Scott would be the first African-American Republican in the House since J. C. Watts retired.

The State, SC's largest newspaper, will have updates from the runoff election here throughout the day. The South Carolina State Election Commission will be reporting unofficial results here after the polls close.

- JP

Quote of the Day (June 21, 2010)

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Mark J. Goluskin:

"If both Mr. Scott and Mrs. Haley win, this is great news for Sarah Palin. It shows that she has the real pulse on the Republican voter nationwide. And that is what the Republican establishment fears the most."

- JP

Sarah Palin endorses Tim Scott in SC-01

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On Facebook Saturday, Sarah Palin endorsed Tim Scott in the GOP primary runoff for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District:

Tim Scott for South Carolina’s 1st District

I’m very proud to add my support to Tim Scott’s campaign to represent South Carolina’s 1st congressional district. Tim has a remarkable success story. He grew up in poverty and was raised by a single-mom who struggled to provide. With help from a mentor and his brave mom, Tim learned to appreciate the value of hard work and American opportunity. He went on to become a business owner and has served in public office with integrity on the county and state level.

Tim is a pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-development, Commonsense Conservative who’s been endorsed by the Club for Growth because of his solid commitment to the principles of limited government and fiscal responsibility.

He will represent the Palmetto State with distinction in DC, so I encourage you to vote for Tim in his run-off election next Tuesday, June 22nd. Please visit Tim’s website at www.votetimscott.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

- Sarah Palin

SC-01 is a coastal congressional district which ranges from Seabrook Island to the North Carolina border. It encompasses parts of Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley and Georgetown counties and all of Horry county. The district includes the city of Charleston and the Myrtle Beach resort area.

Scott, a state representative, faces Charleston County Commissioner Paul Thurmond, son of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, in the run-off. The winner will battle Democrat Ben Frasier, Jr. in the general election.

- JP