COLUMBIA, SC -- How do you defeat an incumbent Congressman who has been elected 12 times since 1982 and who is a member of his party’s leadership?

Well, a good way to begin is to be recruited by Karl Rove,  Ken Mehlman, and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

That’s what happened to Ralph Norman, a Rock Hill, South Carolina, real-estate developer and state representative, who announced in October 2005 that he would challenge Congressman John Spratt to represent South Carolina’s 5th District. 

In This Corner, Wearing The Blue

John Spratt, the incumbent Congressman representing the 5th District of South Carolina (which includes the north central part of the state, bordering North Carolina), was first elected to Congress in 1982. He has risen through the ranks of the Democratic Party to become Assistant to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, ranking member of the Budget Committee, and one of the senior members of the Armed Services Committee. 

John Spratt grew up in York, where he still lives. His personal accolades run longer than his Congressional accomplishments.  Both his high school and Davidson College elected him President of the Student Body. He won a Marshall Scholarship to Oxford and earned a law degree from Yale. He served as a captain in the Army from 1969-71 and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. In 1971, he came home to practice law.   

Spratt is a serious incumbent; his seniority matters, particularly in a state like South Carolina where voters are used to changing U.S. senators only every 50 years or so. Senator Strom Thurmond served from 1954-2003, chaired the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee several times each, served as president pro-tempore and ran for President in 1948. Senator Fritz Hollings served from 1966-2005, chaired the Budget Committee and the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and ran for president in 1984.   Today, South Carolina is represented by two freshman senators, Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint, and though they are rising stars, they have not resided long enough in the tradition-laden body to wield much power. And of the four Republican members of the South Carolina delegation to the House, not one was elected before 2001. Thus, John Spratt is the one high point on the seniority scale. 

Spratt has spent significant resources to establish a reputation in South Carolina as a moderate Democrat. Though Republicans paint him as a liberal Democrat, both Spratt and Minority Leader Pelosi claim he is Assistant to the Minority Leader because he is not a liberal. They claim he does not vote the way she does, that he brings fresh ideas to the Democratic table. The State, South Carolina’s largest newspaper, called John Spratt "a bridge-builder who can reach across party lines."  Congressman Spratt even helped negotiate Newt Gingrich’s and President Clinton’s 1997 Balanced Budget Agreement.  "That's one of the advantages of establishing a reputation and personality among your constituents," he said. "People know where I'm coming from. ... I'm very much in the mainstream."

Congressman Spratt also uses his seniority to help the 5th District. He brings home the pork. In a state that was hit hard—despite the seniority of Thurmond and Hollings—during the 1990s version of Base Realignment and Closure Hearings, Spratt protected Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina through several rounds of Base Realignment and Closure hearings. National Journal featured him on its cover as "a stand-out" in Congress, comparing his legislative skills to the "best infielders in baseball."

Congressman Spratt has not faced serious opposition in several election cycles. According to the South Carolina Election Commission, Spratt’s lowest showing in recent years was 54% of the vote in 1996, running against Larry Bigham. Since then, he has defeated the Republican challenger with, give-or-take a few points, 60% of the vote. In 2002, the Republican Party did not even field a candidate. 

In This Corner, Wearing The Red
 
Ralph Norman is a first-term member in the South Carolina  House of Representatives. In 2004, he won a three-way primary with 54% of the vote. Not long after, the White House came calling. Continued...