By First the good news-
An unemployed military veteran who raised no funds and put up no campaign website shocked South Carolina’s Democratic Party leadership by capturing the nomination Tuesday to face Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint in November.
With nearly all precincts reporting, Alvin Greene
, 32, commanded 59 percent of the vote against 41 percent for former four-term state lawmaker Vic Rawl, 64, who had raised about $186,000 and had to abruptly scrap a late-week fundraiser for the fall.
State Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler said voters unfamiliar with either candidate may have voted alphabetically for Greene over Rawl.
“As far as I know, he never showed up at anything. Vic Rawl has been campaigning everywhere from the time he filed,” she said.
Rawl said he was disappointed.
“I would’ve liked very much to be a candidate against Jim DeMint,” Rawl said, describing his sole primary rival as something of a mystery. “I never saw him. I’ve still never met him.”
As for Greene, he couldn’t explain it either but thanked voters in a state numb with high unemployment and said: “Let’s continue to make history and get South Carolina back to work.”
Greene said he spent a total of 13 years in the Air Force and Army before leaving the Army in August.
DeMint, a conservative Republican and tea party darling pursuing a second term, has marshaled a $3.5 million war chest already to face the bare-pockets Democratic underdog.
Greene’s win is an amazing story. As Paul Harvey would have said. ‘Now the rest of the story‘-
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina’s surprise Democratic nominee to challenge U.S. Senator Jim DeMint is facing a pending felony charge.
Court records show 32-year-old Alvin Greene was arrested in November and charged with showing obscene Internet photos to a University of South Carolina student. The felony charge carries up to five years in prison.
Greene said he had no comment when asked about the charge Wednesday and hung up on a reporter.
The unemployed veteran posted bond after his arrest. He has yet to enter a plea or be indicted.
Records indicate Greene showed photos to a woman and talked about going to her room at a university dorm.
Midnight came awfully fast for Cinderella. Hat tip- Doug at Outside the Beltway.
12:03 pm on June 9th, 2010 1
"DeMint, a conservative Republican and tea party darling pursuing a second term…"
But those who voted for Greene did so alphabetically? All 59% of them? Are they trying to justify accepting campaign contributions by corporations or do they want to downplay the defeat? Wouldn't it instead mean that the voters dislike DeMint so much that they figured it couldn't be worse if they voted for someone they had never heard of?
1:15 pm on June 9th, 2010 2
You must remember that it is "South Carolina". They likely did vote for the first on the ticket. S.C. voted for a guy that couldn't make it in the Air Force and then went to the Army? Couldn't make that last for 7 more years? A real winner! Perfect for the Senate. He'll fit right in.
DeMint was no friend to Bush or Obama, from what I read.
1:32 pm on June 9th, 2010 3
This was a cool story. This won't hurt his chances (the charges, I mean). It makes him look less perfect and hell, people are sexting each other every day. I bet he'll still make a run of it.
2:50 pm on June 9th, 2010 4
#2
We've tried the MBA's, Rhodes scholars and Harvard and Yale lawyers. Maybe an average American with military experience (not a retired General) won't do any worse.
3:22 pm on June 9th, 2010 5
You can get five years for showing pictures to a young woman? WTF?
9:23 pm on June 9th, 2010 6
The party is blaming the alphabetical listing of the candidates for a state-wide upset in a race for a US Senate seat? C'mon. It sounds like a "None of the above" kind of message that political parties ignore at their own peril.
12:47 am on June 10th, 2010 7
#4, One thing is sure. Mr Green is about to be quite RICH!
#5, You know we have all gone to college girls and show pictures of our Penis. But in S.C. they don't like that stuff.
#6, He stood outside and handed little green strips of paper with his name on it.
If they only have one location to vote, then this was genius! The "all inclusive"
Democrates will pay to get him to guit. I hope Alvin makes a few million out of this.
#4 again, yea the highly educated often say, do and believe the most ignorant things. Education does not equal intelligence.
12:20 pm on June 10th, 2010 8
Where was the illustrious news media during all this. Oops, we don't investigate nothing down here. We just report.
10:54 pm on June 10th, 2010 9
The Democrats are now saying that Alvin was a Republican plant. Who would a thunk it?
I believe this may say more about democrats in S.C. than it does Mr. Green.
12:08 am on June 11th, 2010 10
Isn't he the one who had to get a public defender for his charges, but somehow came up with $10,000 for a filing fee to run as a candidate? I wouldn't be surprised if it was a Republican/Tea Partyer plan to produce the weakest candidate. And, once again, it is South Carolina where dirty tricks are considered an art form.
2:43 am on June 11th, 2010 11
How would the "weakest candidate" win? I don't see any logic in that statement. (now we could play the "race card" here, but not the "weakest candidate" card)
When I say that it is South Carolina, I do not consider it the location of "dirty tricks". My meaning is more along the lines of the "land of the ignorant". The evidence is the election of Mr. Green. (I still hope he gets rich off of this)
The location of where "dirty tricks are considered an art form" is Chicago.
11:17 am on June 13th, 2010 12
People seem to be under the impression this guy was nominated for the Republican Party – he was not. He has been nominated as the Democratic candidate. Meaning that he will NEXT run against DeMint.
BTW – DeMint was nothing more than Bush's whipping boy during his term. Simply does whatever is asked of him.
He has never once voted against the Republican party line. Much like ass-clown Henry Brown, he's nothing more than a cardboard cutout of a man – an empty suit filling a seat.
2:05 pm on June 13th, 2010 13
Retired GI 7, what if he was still in the service, could an NCO be demoted for showing pictures to a female?
5:10 pm on June 13th, 2010 14
"… could an NCO be demoted for showing pictures to a female?"
If she filed a sexual harassment complaint, maybe. There would at least be an investigation and a first offense might draw a reprimand. Compound that if he did it in the workplace and on a government computer, then a court martial and demotion is more likely.
5:32 pm on June 13th, 2010 15
If you consider Larry Craig & John Edwards I think that Alvin Greene would be a perfect fit to the Senate.
11:44 pm on June 13th, 2010 16
Glans #13 If she didn't like it the answer is yes. But Army females would have likely spent the night with him.
Sexual harASSment can end a career in the military.