Free Republic

The numbers offer an early glimpse at the landscape as Spratt pursues a 15th term. The 67-year-old York Democrat has come under criticism for his support of health care reform, bank bailouts and cap-and-trade environmental legislation. Mulvaney, 42, a businessman from Indian Land, blames Spratt for embracing what he calls a liberal agenda led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He says the new numbers are better than expected. “We just only started the campaign and are already hard on his heels,” Mulvaney said. “That is particularly striking when you consider that he has been in Congress almost 30 years.” Speaking...

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...

John Spratt is facing his toughest reelection in years this fall, but he's in better shape than some of his Democratic colleagues in conservative leaning Congressional districts. Here's the bad news and the good news for Spratt from our new poll of SC-5: The Bad News: -The Democratic brand in Spratt's district is pretty poor right now. 55% of voters disapprove of Congressional Democrats to just 37% who think they're doing a good job. 48% of them think Congressional Democrats are too liberal. Only 33% support the Democratic health care plan with 51% opposed. And the President's approval rating is...

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.

tsunami wrote on 01/23/2010 09:46:10 AM: John Spratt is not just a foot soldier in Pelosi's Army, as Chairman of the House Budget Committee, he's a General. Everything that has come our way since Pelosi became the Speaker has been run through him. Health Care Reform, TARP, Cap and Trade, and the Stimulus package all received his approval. And what are the benefits to the State and his district as a result of his leadership? "SC jobless rate hits record 12.6 percent in Dec." - The Herald (1/22/2010) All of the counties in his district except two have unemployment rates...

The very public way in which the existence of a center-right in the Democratic Party proved to be a mirage has done more to undermine the party’s chances for victory in 2010 than any other aspect of the healthcare debate. When liberal Republicans failed to rally to Bill Clinton’s 1993-1994 agenda — including his failed healthcare proposal — they laid the basis for their total demise in subsequent years. Sens. Jeffords, Chaffee, D’Amato, Packwood, Hatfield and Specter (as a Republican) are gone. Sens. Snowe and Collins are all that remain of the once-dominant Rockefeller wing of the GOP. They have...

14-TERM CONGRESSMAN ENDS SPECULATION OVER RETIREMENT Congressman John Spratt has ended months of speculation over whether he will resign or run to retain his seat next year. On Monday, the 14-term Democrat officially filed for re-election with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC filing showed Spratt, 67, with nearly $600,000 cash-on-hand. He is currently South Carolina’s longest-serving Congressman. A number of media outlets had been probing Spratt’s intentions of late, which likely pressured him into making a decisive move before he lost the support of his 5th district base. “Washington is sort of like an echo chamber,” Spratt told...

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...

The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. (2 Samuel 22:3)

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...

There is an organization attempting to stand in the way of the transformation of the US military into a more efficient, more effective, high technology force. That organization is the so-called Project On Government Oversight—POGO for short. Consider that the San Francisco Bay Area Progressive Directory lists POGO’s web site as a favorite web site. Hmmm. If the San Francisco Bay Area Progressive Directory likes POGO, something must be rotten.

U.S. Rep. John Spratt turned back a well-funded challenge from Republican Ralph Norman on Tuesday, winning not only a 13th term in the House but also the leadership position he has coveted for years. With Democrats picking up more than the 15 seats needed to reclaim the majority, Spratt is poised to become chairman of the House budget committee, a role that will make him one of the most visible lawmakers in deciding how federal money should be spent. Particularly satisfying for Spratt was winning York County, where GOP leaders as high as White House chief political adviser Karl Rove...

John Spratt (D) 56% Ralph Norman (R) 42% Undecided 2% 408 Likely Voters, +/- 4.9 MOE

ROCK HILL, S.C. - A Democratic ad showing flag-draped caskets was pulled Friday from a fundraising Web site, a day after U.S. Rep. John Spratt sent a letter urging his party to do so. His Republican challenger, state Rep. Ralph Norman, commended the removal. It was "the right thing to do for the state, country and especially the brave men and women who serve in our military," said Norman's spokesman, Nathan Hollifield. In a joint news conference earlier Friday, Norman and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson thanked Spratt for joining them in condemning the 75-second ad, posted last week on a...

According to the Congressional Budget Office, instead of costing the government $27 billion in revenues, the 2003 capital gains tax cuts actually earned the government $26 billion extra. That is, by cutting the taxes on investment gains, the government actually took in more money—kind of like a business that increases its profits by cutting its prices. The boost in government revenues from tax cuts was not good news to everyone. Representative John Spratt (D-SC), ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee expressed disappointment with the news. “It’s not just the quantity of revenue that is important,” said Spratt. “Equalizing the...

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...