MICH ZAIS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN, HAS SECRET WEAPON

There’s another Republican contender in race to become South Carolina’s next State Superintendent of Education… and this one has a secret weapon that could give him a significant advantage.

Mick Zais, the President of Newberry College and a decorated officer in the U.S. Army, announced Thursday that he was officially running to oversee South Carolina’s public schools.

“Every child is special and every child learns differently. Parents must be empowered to have a choice in the educational environment of their child,” Zais said. “Strong incentives for teachers in our public schools must be employed to retain as many excellent teachers as possible. Principals must receive world-class training so they can lead, inspire and motivate their teaching staff. Legislators, district superintendents and school boards must ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent on items that affect educational outcomes and these expenditures must be transparent to the public.”

Now, that all sounds great, but if you put me in a room with Mick Zais I probably couldn’t pick him out. His daughter Ashley, however, is a different story.

Ashley Zais was the 2007 Miss South Carolina — not to be confused with her teen counterpart Lauren Caitlin Upton — and she was dubbed the “hottest staffer ever” when Sen. John McCain hired her to work on his presidential campaign.

She is pretty much the definition of “dream girl.” Just check out these pageant photos and you’ll agree.

If I were Mick Zais, I would bring her everywhere I go on the campaign trail to build name ID. It’s a no-brainer.

Zais is the third Republican in the race. The other announced opponents include Dutch Fork high school teacher Kelly Payne and Furman University professor Brent Nelsen.