Free Republic

There are many national and statewide organizations that promote themselves as pro-small business, but none can claim to be America's leading small business association. That honor is reserved for the National Federation of Independent Businesses. With 5,000 small business members in South Carolina, we are very careful when choosing which lawmakers and candidates to support. In the 5th Congressional District, we have evaluated the voting records of Congressman John Spratt and state Senator Mick Mulvaney. Without a doubt, the candidate that you can most trust to protect the small businesses in this state and create an environment that fosters job...

"Sack Spratt." It's a message that's hard to miss, and for many people, one even harder to ignore. During the past couple months, the bright yellow signs emblazoned with red text opposing long-sitting U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., have blanketed South Carolina's 5th Congressional District in the ramp-up to the Nov. 2 election, where the 28-year congressman will face state Sen. Mick Mulvaney, R-Indian Land. Sources with knowledge of the issue cite Gardner Gore, who was chairman of the campaign to elect Republican Ralph Norman to Spratt's seat in 2006, with creating and funding the signs. [...] Gore is also...

Looks like someone snuck a camera in after all. SC-5 incumbent John Spratt (D) requested that the debate not allow any video or audio. State Sen. Mick Mulvaney reluctantly agreed, since he had earlier challenged Spratt to a debate on any terms. http://www.sc5codered.com/2010/09/the-great-debate-mick-mulvany-v-john-spratt/

LAKE WYLIE South Carolina’s longest-serving congressman pointed to his experience Tuesday in asking voters to give him a 15th term, while his challenger said the incumbent’s support of the health care overhaul and other Democratic agenda items was the reason to replace him. It was the first debate for Democratic U.S. Rep. John Spratt and freshman state Sen. Mick Mulvaney, and it won’t be viewed by anyone other than the 200 or so people attending the $30-per-person event in a gated, Lake Wylie community just south of Charlotte. Spratt’s campaign asked that no video or audio recordings be allowed, which...

John Spratt is in Sarah Palin's cross-hairs. The S.C. Democrat is one of 20 congressmen -- and the only one from the Carolinas -- whose seats Palin's SarahPAC is targeting after Sunday's health care vote. Spratt, of York, has survived 14 terms in a district that's consistently gone Republican in presidential races. Two years ago he got 62 percent of the vote while John McCain was getting 53 percent. "We’re paying particular attention to those House members who voted in favor of Obamacare and represent districts that Senator John McCain and I carried during the 2008 election," Palin wrote on...

State Sen. Mick Mulvaney (R), who is challenging House Budget Chairman John Spratt (D), will be promoted today to the second-highest level of the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" fundraising and campaign infrastructure program. The move to name Mulvaney as one of 22 "Contender" candidates comes ahead of what committee officials expect to be a strong first-quarter fundraising report. When he entered the race in October, Mulvaney's deep pockets were viewed as an attractive campaign asset. In the fourth quarter, he loaned himself $75,000, which helped him show more campaign receipts than Spratt for the three-month period. Spratt, a...

By FITSNews || S.C. Senator Mick Mulvaney wasted no time in capitalizing on U.S. Rep. John Spratt’s latest show of support for President Barack Obama’s controversial socialized medicine proposals. The first-term GOP Senator – who was already running neck-and-neck with Spratt leading up to Sunday’s vote – has launched a petition on his website seeking to drum up opposition to the fourteen-term incumbent, who served as the primary sponsor of Obama’s legislation. The petition has already received hundreds of signatures, a source close to Mulvaney’s campaign tells FITS

Jason Lewis, former drive time host of Charlotte’s WBT radio and current host on KTLK in Minneopolis when not filling in for Rush Limbaugh, will be in Charlotte on Friday, March 5, for a luncheon honoring SC-5 Congressional candidate Sen. Mick Mulvaney. The lunch is scheduled for noon at the Greek Isles Restaurant at 200 East Bland Street, Charlotte. There is no charge to attend, though a $15 lunch will be served. Mulvaney currently occupies the 16th district Senate seat in South Carolina and is running for Congress against Democrat Rep. John Spratt who has held the seat since 1983....

It has only been a week since the Crystal Ball published our most recent comprehensive view of House races across the country, but political news abhors a vacuum and there already many new developments to report. All nine ratings changes this week benefit Republicans, further evidence of the many advantages they face across the country at this time. The Crystal Ball moves five Democratic seats from a “safe” rating onto our list of competitive races: KY-6 (Ben Chandler), MA-10 (Bill Delahunt), OH-13 (Betty Sutton), SC-5 (John Spratt), and VA-9 (Rick Boucher). In addition, two already competitive races for Democrats look...

Taken Jan. 22-24, 600 voters, margin of error +/-4%. Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance? If you approve, press 1. If you disapprove, press 2. If you're not sure, press 3. Approve 46% Disapprove 49% Not Sure 5% Q2 Do you approve or disapprove of Congressman John Spratt’s job performance? If you approve, press 1. If you disapprove, press 2. If you’re not sure, press 3. Approve 41% Disapprove 42% Not Sure 18% Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Mick Mulvaney? If favorable, press 1. If unfavorable, press 2. If...

Washington (CNN) – National Republicans will begin airing a new 30 second commercial this week in Rep. John Spratt's congressional district, criticizing the South Carolina Democrat for his role as House Budget Committee chairman. The National Republican Congressional Committee is airing the political ad with the hope of pressuring Spratt to choose retirement over running for a 15th term to the House.

A Brown victory — or even a narrow Coakley win in the mid-single digits — could have significant ramifications. First, it could well produce a flurry of Democratic retirements. If Democrats couldn’t hold Kennedy’s seat rather easily with the state attorney general, some Democratic Members will worry, how the heck can they win in November in competitive districts. GOP strategists are already compiling a list of possible retirees if Brown wins, including Reps. John Spratt (S.C.), Allen Boyd (Fla.) and Jim Matheson (Utah) and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (Ark.). A victory by the Republican in the special election could dissuade some...

John Spratt (D SC-5) is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee. He is Nancy Pelosi’s enabler. Her agenda passes through him, and needless to say, whatever Nancy wants, Nancy gets. Spratt has been in the Congress for 28 years and is running for another term. The district is rated R+7, votes Republican in National Elections, but Spratt has been flying under the radar for years. He has voted for TARP, Cap and Trade, and Health Care, and waved them all through his committee. The boys and girls in the district are not happy, and are ready for a change....

TOP GOP HOUSE COMMITTEE HELPING REPUBLICAN ACHIEVE ‘YOUNG GUN’ STATUS IN RACE AGAINST SPRATT The race for South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, which has been held by a Democrat for the past 27 years, has now caught the attention of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). On Wednesday, the NRCC officially announced that State Sen. Mick Mulvaney (R-Lancaster) was an ‘On the Radar’ candidate in his bid to unseat 14-term Democrat Congressman John Spratt. “The NRCC is committed to working with Mick Mulvaney as he continues to meet the rigorous goals of the Young Guns program,” NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions...

Link to WRHI website with Audio (30 minutes)State Senator Mick Mulvaney (R) discusses his upcoming candidacy for South Carolina's 5th Congressional District. Mulvaney discusses the reason he's decided to challenge 27-year veteran Democrat Rep. John Spratt, the logistics of the race and campaign organization, his chances, the possibility (likelihood) that Spratt will go negative (like he did in 2006), etc. One rumor that Mulvaney squashes here is that Ralph Norman will run against him in the primary. Mick Mulvaney for Congress Dump Spratt

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting three veteran Democrats who voted for the House version of the health care bill in a weeklong round of television ads that will begin airing on Thursday. The new 30-second spots hit Democratic Reps. Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, Vic Snyder of Arkansas and John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina for their votes by using the words of fellow Democratic legislators who opposed the legislation. Among the statements the NRCC uses in it' new ad against Pomeroy is one released by the office of Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., when he announced he...

For 27 years Congressman John Spratt has gone to D.C. and cast thousands of votes on behalf of the people of upstate South Carolina. There may have been a time when Mr. Spratt’s representation reflected the values of this district, but that certainly isn’t today. The Fifth has changed over the years, but Congressman Spratt has not. Communities such as Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and other parts of the district have been overflowing with folks from Charlotte and even other parts of the nation seeking the benefits of an area shaped and nurtured on typical middle class American values: low...

October 12, 2009 — Every few years, Republicans get ambitious and mount a well-financed challenge to US Rep. John Spratt (D) in South Carolina’s 5th District (Rock Hill, etc.). They almost succeeded in 1994 amidst the tsunami that swept Democrats from office all over the country. But that close call -- Spratt won with a mere 52% -- was not repeated in ’96 nor in subsequent years when a combination of the GOP’s national money and its local muscle never got that close again. By 2008, Spratt had nominal Republican opposition and won with 62% at the same time John...

ROCK HILL A hostile crowd greeted U.S. Rep. John Spratt in his home county Thursday night, filling a 700-seat hall to voice anger over far more than health-care reform. Many in the Rock Hill audience lashed out at illegal immigration, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and a federal government they say no longer deserves the trust of Americans. Outside, an overflow crowd of 200 listened on portable speakers. The loudest applause inside a packed Baxter Hood Center might have come when a Fort Mill man denounced Pelosi for one criticism of opponents of Democratic reform efforts. “One of the things...

08/27/09 Spratt to Hold Second and Third Town Meetings on Health CareWASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) will hold his second and third town hall meetings on health care next week in Sumter and Rock Hill. Spratt held his first town hall on health care in Rock Hill on July 2, with AARP. Since early August he has been recovering from foot surgery at his home in York. Over the past few months, Spratt has met with numerous constituents, the South Carolina Hospital Association, SC Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and a wide assortment of physician groups to hear their concerns...