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STARBOARD COMMUNICATIONS ALSO REELING FROM DEFEATS
There was a time when the road to victory in South Carolina elections went through consultant Warren Tompkins.
But ever since Tompkins and his firm First Tuesday Strategies guided former presidential candidate Mitt Romney — who dumped millions into winning the Palmetto State’s coveted Republican Primary in January — to a disappointing loss, the road has gone straight down hill for the bad boy politico.
“[Tompkins'] rotten tomatoes style of campaigning used to work down here,” one insider told The Palmetto Scoop. “But people have gotten sick of it. Politicians have taken note too and are jumping ship as fast as they can.”
In last Tuesday’s primaries, Tompkins’ top candidate suffered a crushing defeat. Ninth District Solicitor challenger Blair Jennings lost to incumbent Scarlett Wilson, whose campaign was managed by Gov. Mark Sanford’s former Communications Director Chris Drummond, by more than 16 points.
And the Senate Republican Caucus, which Tompkins oversees, also saw an unprecedented number of candidates picked off.
Sanford’s former Chief of Staff Tom Davis notched a huge upset victory over Sen. Catherine Ceips while Sen. Jim Ritchie, the darling of the Caucus, came a mere 47 votes from losing his seat outright. Ritchie is expected to lose by double digits to challenger Shane Martin in this Tuesday’s run-off.
But Ritchie isn’t the only candidate receiving Tompkins’ help who faces the possibility of an upset loss.
In Senate District 12, Rep. Scott Talley has been engaged in a nasty race with Lee Bright. The back and forth hit on everything from taxes to trial lawyers and Talley found himself winning the three-way primary by only 606 votes out of nearly 10,000 cast. But the third place finisher is backing Bright and Talley is being treated as the incumbent, which means he may have nearly 60 percent of the vote against him.
Down in Aiken, the heated race between Scott Singer and Tom Young could also turn into a loss for Tompkins. Young, whose race he is running, won the primary with 47 percent but has since launched a series of negative personal attacks that are apparently not going over well with the locals. Responses from South Carolinians for Responsible Government and Singer himself have also damaged Young’s chances.
The possible reasons for Tompkins’ downfall are numerous. Said one former employee who asked not to be identified, “You can only scorch the earth so much before the fields become barren.” That reference is to Tompkins’ trademark smear tactics.
Tompkins however isn’t the only consultant in town praying for a reversal of fate this Tuesday. Starboard Communications, headed by Walter Whetsell and B.J. Boling is looking to make up for a mostly losing slate of candidates in the primary election.
In addition to Ritchie, who is paying the group for consulting services, Starboard also failed to win, among others: Pete Smith, House District 18; Bob Leach, House District 21; Brad Boni, House District 81; Kevin Hardee House District 105.
Starboard still has two viable senate races, but word is they’re pulling all of their sources out of Senate District 10 and conceding that Chip Stockman will lose in order to bet the house on Katrina Shealy knocking off Sen. Jake Knotts in District 23.
So come Tuesday, it’s a safe bet that folks from both Starboard and First Tuesdays will be clamoring to computers, phones and televisions to see if this primary season has any gifts at all or if the agony of defeat will leave them empty-handed for the second time in fourteen days.
thought i read an article in the paper about them going 10-0 in the Primary…didn’t see that about your boss’ at RQ&A.
The Buzz
• Tompkins bats 1.000 on election day
Don’t call it a comeback.
After getting kicked around earlier this year for its performance running Mitt Romney’s South Carolina presidential campaign, Warren Tompkins’ consulting firm, First Tuesday, had itself a pretty good primary day last week.
None of First Tuesday’s 11 State House candidates lost their primary bid.
Even the self-proclaimed big winners on Tuesday, the unofficial firm of Sanford and Sons, couldn’t claim that percentage.
Interesting how you didn’t list Bob Walker’s loss on the Starboard Communications side. You must know that while Walker WAS an “official” Starboard Communications client, his opposition’s campaign (Joey Millwood) was being handled by the same people. Talk about an in-house drive by…
what gives…are the quinn’s giving you nitrous as you recover from your surgery instead of oxygen?! Or are the trying to build up for the SD primary win as their one “bright” spot of the cycle. Everyone knows that it is your boss that is on his last legs. Come on dude, couldn’t get his own son reelected and then elected…dude.
Ha!
TTS dropped a Solicitor’s race in Charleston – with Blair Jennings. I guess that doesn’t count in your batting average.
And, with four of their candidates going into runoffs maybe they shouldn’t be pimping their own wares just yet.
But way to go TTS, you won some open seat races and defended some incumbents.
We still saw seven incumbent Republicans go down and two more on life support. Plus, Scott “The Good Humor Trial Lawyer” Talley is battling it out with Lee Bright.
I guess you forgot about BJ and Walter whooping your but with Wendy Nanney. You clowns couldn’t even get an incumbent re-elected. That’s pretty sad. Quinns and Shealy – where incumbents go to get beat.
As for Tompkins, he had a great run in the primary. Didn’t lose a state house or state senate race. My guess is that they will win in Aiken but lose in Spartanburg.
Maybe I’m sticking my neck out here a little bit … but consultants can help a candidate run a viable candidacy, but they can’t save candidates from themselves.
Take Randy Scott, Gloria Haskins and a lot of the others who got taken down – can you say the loser’s consultant caused that? Do consultants tell them “if you ever get arrested, start making threats against everyone’s jobs wherever video and audio recordings are being made” or “you’re in trouble, so sure, get your kid to run against your opponent’s father”.
I don’t know why Rick lost his House seat, but when he ran for Treasurer, hell, the guy got as many votes as Ryberg, for a lot less money – and he worked harder than any of the other candidates in that race. We all know he didn’t win, but when you’re caught in a pissing match (maybe they should have drug tested them during the match?) between two millionaires, what else can you expect?
Sometimes consultants give bad advice, and sometimes they give great advice – but none of them are perfect. Nor are their clients. The consultants try to do the best they can, all the while hoping their clients have raised enough funds, have enough volunteers, haven’t pissed off the voters before or during the race, and have leveled with them about anything good or bad about them which could affect the race.
More than once, it turns out they didn’t mention those liens, a spouse who gets caught with the babysitter, go off half-cocked at a candidate’s forum, or that they’re not great with people so they have few volunteers for GOTV work. This kind of stuff affects races greatly, but tell me how that is a consultant’s fault?
I know a lot of political bloggers work for one place or another – so of course they’re going to sing the praises of their organization, and get in some shots at the others. But it happens in almost any kind of business out there. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I say great things about my construction company, our project track record, and all the great work we’re doing.
That’s called marketing – and most marketing has spin. But the smart people know how to look beyond it, do their homework, and ask the kinds of questions that can help determine if a particular professional or product is right for their situation.
If a candidate isn’t smart enough to check out a couple of consultants and pick out the one best-suited to their candidacies, then they probably aren’t ready for the big leagues anyway.
Earl, stop making logical arguements…that stuff don’t cut it on this blog.
SuFi – you’re right. I promise I’ll stop trying to make sense. From now on, it’s mindless rants, personal insults, foul language, and shallow cheap-shots.
That better?
Earl – Sounds like you’ve been spending too much time with Terry Sullivan.
Very funny. I’ve only met the guy in person once or twice in my entire life. My office is in Summerville, and which means a lot of my daytimes are spent far, far away from Wonderland on the Congaree.
I’m just a natural-born asshole. Don’t believe me? Anyone who is twice divorced can’t possibly be Prince Charming.
Yeah Earl,
Stop Making Sense!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_sggSeFnBM