We have a three way Republican Primary in South Carolina’s First Congressional District. Henry Brown is an incumbent Congressman running for this fifth term. I really have no feelings toward Brown one way or the other. He isn’t one to show up in the media much. He received a rating of 96 from the American Conservative Union for 2007, not too shabby and he’s been involved in government for about 27 years, starting in the city council, moving up to state office and then Federal.

He has two challengers in the primary. The first, Paul Norris, is the President of Southeast Energy Partners. Naturally, he is big on the coming energy crisis that most Americans have not yet awaken to. I also like how he released his tax returns. He feels that if he is going to be handling others tax money, they have a right to see how he manages his own.

The one candidate that really stands out to me out of the three, however, is Katherine Jenerette. A history professor, mother of four, and a second lieutenant in the army reserves, I think Mrs. Jenerette is the total package that disgruntled conservatives and others disoriented with the Republican Party are looking for. Read and learn:

She said she decided to run for Congress partly out of frustration of how Republicans squandered their congressional majorities.

“We had the playing field, and we fumbled,” she said. “We spent like drunken sailors. We left the party platform behind.”

Jenerette said she favors a federal hiring freeze and the Fair Tax, a plan to eliminate the income tax by significantly raising the sales tax. She said her service in the U.S. Army Reserve would make her an important voice on national security issues.

As for the Iraq war, she said, “We can sit here and be Monday morning quarterbacks. We’re there because of our national interests. We’re there because of oil. What angers me is how we’ve made it into a political football.” She said she supports U.S. Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq and would pounce on his critics.

Jenerette said education is a big issue with her, and she would push to abolish the federal No Child Left Behind Act. “It’s created a nightmare bureaucracy for our schools.”

Marvelous. She hit the fiscal issues, the education issues, and the military issues right on the button. Additionally, she points out how Congressional Republicans have lost their way and threw a platform for success overboard to satisfy their own greed. Ah, it brings tears to my eyes.

It’s very difficult to take down an incumbent, even more so in a primary, but hope springs eternal. I hope enough Republicans who are looking for a return to the Class of ‘94 ideals are paying attention in this race. They have a candidate.