Free Republic

Trump-backed South Carolina Republican Russell Fry showed a strong 20 point lead over impeachment supporter Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) and the rest of the primary field in an internal poll. The poll also found that of those who voted in the Republican primary before, 63 percent said they would not vote for Rice again, while only 21 percent said they would vote for the impeachment Republican again. There was 11 percent who said they never voted for Rice in the past and still will not, as five percent said they have never voted for him and they will this time....

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a San Gabriel attorney for allegedly calling on Black protesters to kill police officers and offering to represent anyone who did pro-bono.

The Los Angeles Police Department says it’s investigating a lawyer after he reportedly posted on Instagram that he would "defend to the death any African American who picked off a cop or two.” Mark McBride, a San Gabriel criminal defense attorney, allegedly made the comments in response to a recent post about police brutality, according to Fox 11. “It won’t stop until black people start murdering cops, which they should do often and with great relish,” the station says one of the posts read. “These ----sucking, low IQ, can’t get into law school jarheads need an asphalt nap, during which...

A southern California criminal defense attorney is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for allegedly advocating that black people kill police officers and offering free representation to anyone willing to do so. Screenshots of Instagram posts from an account tied to attorney Mark McBride were obtained by Fox 11. "It won’t stop until black people start murdering cops, which they should do — often and with great relish. These c---sucking, low-iq, can’t get into law school jarheads need an asphalt nap, during which they bleed out on the streets where they’re shot down. I would have no problem...

COLUMBIA - Former S.C. Gov. David Beasley is expected to announce today that he is jumping into an already-crowded pool of candidates for the U.S. Senate seat that will come open when Fritz Hollings retires at the end of this year. Beasley, 46, a Republican who was defeated for re-election in 1998, has called a 1 p.m. news conference in Columbia. GOP sources say Beasley has already told a number of people that he will make the race. The former governor would neither confirm nor deny that in a telephone interview Tuesday from Darlington, S.C. But he did say, "I'll...

Inez Tenenbaum offers Democrats their best hope of hanging on to the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Fritz Hollings, experts say. The only question is, can the state superintendent of education pull it off in a state that has been trending Republican for the past 10 years? The GOP holds the governorship, controls both houses of the General Assembly and has a lock on four of the state’s six congressional seats, as well as the other U.S. Senate post. Tenenbaum faces a tough road. “In South Carolina in 2004, she’s going to have an uphill fight,” Winthrop...

The Republican primary contest for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Fritz Hollings promises to be a real doozy. Just the presence of former state Attorney General Charlie Condon, who has earned the reputation of being a political street fighter, makes it interesting. "I like my chances," the Charleston native said. Condon, no shrinking violet on the campaign stump, cannot be dismissed. He has a loyal following among Christian right activists, who make up a good hunk of the GOP primary electorate. He also enjoys solid support in the Lowcountry. Condon believes there is strong sentiment out there for...

<p>Two Republican U.S. Senate candidates are in the $1 million fund-raising ballpark and a third said Wednesday he logged the best quarter of his political career.</p> <p>Rep. Jim DeMint of Greenville raised approximately $600,000 from April through June for a campaign total of "just under or over" $1 million, said Barry Wynn of Spartanburg, a former state GOP chairman and a DeMint finance committee leader.</p>

Washington John Spratt: Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in '04? Don't count on it. Though S.C. Democrats relish the idea of the experienced York congressman running if U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, D-S.C., doesn't, Spratt says he is U.S. House bound. There Spratt is an acknowledged heavyweight -- in seniority, in position and for his voluminous knowledge of the federal budget. "Who me?" he says when asked about a Senate run last week. "No. I have 21 years of seniority in the House. I sit one chair away from the chairmanship of Armed Services, and I'm the ranking member on the...

U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings has told the South Carolina Democratic Party it's OK to conduct popularity polls to help evaluate possible successors. Although Hollings has not ruled out running again in 2004, he told state party Chairman Joe Erwin that his preference is for someone else to step forward and that the party should launch polling to determine strength and name identification. "I think it's a sign that the senator really does want to see if there is a strong credible candidate, or candidates, willing to take the risk of running," Erwin said Monday after speaking with Hollings via telephone...

U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings is fast reaching the point when he must let the South Carolina Democratic Party know whether he's going to run. Time is growing short. The party needs to start shopping for a candidate soon if he's not going to seek re-election. Whoever is going to run needs to start raising money now. Estimated costs for a statewide campaign are somewhere between $6 million and $8 million. While Democrats are waiting for Hollings to decide, Republicans are lining up to run for the office. They are raising money, signing up supporters and getting organized. So far, four...