TENENBAUM TAKES OUT REX AT STATE DEMOCRAT CONVENTION

The State newspaper is reporting that former State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum worked to remove her successor, Jim Rex, as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention — an act that has heated up a deep-rooted rivalry and will likely boil over into the 2010 gubernatorial race.

Sources close to the story told me that Tenenbaum’s husband Sam, along with former Democrat Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian, allegedly made a power play this weekend in Columbia at the party’s state convention to prevent Rex from representing Democrats after Rex reportedly refused to endorse presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Rex, the highest ranking Democrat in South Carolina and the only member of his party to hold statewide office, was up against enormous pressure from Obama supporters including Tenenbaum, a state chair for the Illinois senator.

While much of the “talk” surrounding Gov. Mark Sanford’s possible replacement has involved Republicans, including Attorney General Henry McMaster, House Speaker Bobby Harrell, Congressman Gresham Barrett, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, the recent “walk” has belonged exclusively to Democrats.

Both Rex and Tenenbaum are considering a bid at the governor’s mansion. And this was likely the first shot in what is expected to be a very intense campaign to finish runner-up in the general election.

Rex has also launched a Website that, on the surface, promotes a petition drive to create a Constitutional amendment inserting the words “high quality education” into the South Carolina Constitution. In reality, the site is likely an attempt to build much-needed resources for his looming showdown with Tenenbaum.

Perhaps Campaigns and Elections wasn’t as far off as I thought when they gave Tenenbaum the nod over Rex in their coverage last week.