SENATOR WILL RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN 2010

The Palmetto Scoop broke the news last week that Sen. Robert Ford was considering running for governor. And by “considering,” I mean his legislative aide sent out a press release announcing it before she was supposed to.

But when I called Ford to confirm the story, he told me, “I don’t know nothing about that.” Well, apparently he did know something about that, because today he told the Charleston Post and Courier that he’s running for governor in 2010. Also, as I wrote last week, Ford’s entire platform is based around bringing back video poker.

Ford claims video poker would solve South Carolina’s woeful financial situation, generating $750 million by taxing the industry that was outlawed here nearly a decade ago. It’s the Christian thing to do, he said.

“I decided to run for governor, but it will be a different type of race,” Ford said.

Many people would bet money on that.

Rod Shealy, a South Carolina political consultant, said Ford, a native of New Orleans, shouldn’t be discounted, despite the senator’s bad grammar and freewheeling sense of humor.

“Senator Ford is a fierce political competitor,” Shealy said. “He brought a style of Louisiana politics when he came.”

Ford, 60, served in the Senate since 1993 and had been a Charleston City councilman from 1974 to 1992. He worked for Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights era, spent years as a car salesman and now is a full time legislator.

Leave it to Shealy to toss out the back-handed compliment — even if he didn’t know he was doing it and even if Ford might not realize it was a back-handed compliment. Kind of like how Ford didn’t know he was running for governor until his aide accidentally told people he was running for governor. Too late now, right?

But I’m all about this cart-before-the-horse campaign.

A governor whose main objective is to legalize gambling and illegal parking is definitely a step in the right direction.

So what if he is flying by the seat of his pants? It’ll be fun! And after the administration of Gov. Mark Sanford, we’re kind of used to it, anyway.