Did Rand Paul Win the South Carolina Special Election?

Media coverage of the South Carolina special election focused upon the candidates, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch and the winner, Mark Sanford. Yet the real winner could turn out to be somebody who isn’t from South Carolina: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul....

...Anyone who follows presidential politics knows that South Carolina is a key primary state. Ron Paul came up short both times, only getting one percent in the crowded primary captured eventually by Arizona Sen. John McCain with 33 percent in 2008. Four years later, Paul did much better, getting 13 percent of the votes. But Paul finished fourth of four candidates in 2012 in the Palmetto State, behind Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum.

this is absurd. ron paul had zero to do with sanford’s win. hell, sanford didn’t have very much to do with his win. my 2 year old nephew would have run strong in SC-1 if he ran as a republican.

but then his opponent — I forget her name. the celebrity’s sister — hid under a rock for a month, refused to take media questions, and when she finally did, she refused to say whether she would vote to repeal ACA.

that’s why she got her tail kicked.

Mark Sanford beat Colbert-Busch based upon the same logic the establishment rinos used to tell us Romney would beat obama.

Sanford won because people hate obama's nightmare, his politics and his simpering tingle legged followers, such as Colbert-Busch's brother, more than they hate a weasel like him.

Rand Paul tarnished his reputation with any association with Sanford, a reputation now somewhat damaged by a perception he supports something/anything that might look like amnesty or reminds voters of his father.

I’m sure this result has ‘em soiling their skivvies down at the DNC. If a candidate THIS flawed can win by such a wide margin over a semi-celebrity who had every available bit of party support, it bodes ill for them in ‘14. Even the Todd Akin candidates may be beating Democrats in the midst of Obamacare imploding.

You're talking about a congressional district. Those tend to be shaped with particular partisan outcomes in mind, irrespective of candidate.

I wouldn't get too excited about the GOP holding a seat they've held for 30 years. In fact, Sanford held this seat himself a dozen years ago.

Latinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers... [Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reform]
...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said. [Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance]
One day after announcing on his radio show that he is "truly considering" running in 2014 for the U.S. Senate seat now held by New Jersey's Frank Lautenberg, Rivera amped up his message today in a television interview and a column on the Fox News Latino website... a moderate Republican who is fiscally conservative but also supports gay marriage and Roe v. Wade... [Geraldo Rivera declares himself a 'moderate Republican' as he eyes U.S. Senate run]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.