Thursday, August 09, 2007

Contact: Rob Godfrey, Communications Director
803.988.8440

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson today announced the First-in-the-South Republican Party Presidential Primary will be held in South Carolina on Saturday, January 19, 2008. In the Executive Council Chambers of the New Hampshire State House in Concord, Dawson hand delivered a letter to New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, notifying him of the primary date.

“The stakes couldn't be higher in this election,” said Dawson. “I am proud to be here in New Hampshire to announce our primary date and to solidify a combined 83-year history of our two states being First-In-The-Nation and First-In-The-South – this election cycle and for years to come.”

The South Carolina Republican Party’s First-In-The-South Presidential Primary has grown in significance over time. Since 1980, no candidate has won the Republican nomination for president without winning South Carolina’s Republican primary. Republicans running for president in 2008 know South Carolina Republicans pick presidents and have already begun to focus on the state’s voters more than ever.

“In our two states, presidential politics is about much more than 30-second television ads and clever sound bytes,” said Dawson. “New Hampshire and South Carolina voters are lucky enough to meet the candidates face-to-face and actually get to know the next President of the United States. All the candidates campaign hard across our two states because they know they must come shake our hands and look us square in the eye if they want our votes.”
 

Columbia, SC- South Carolina Democratic Chair Carol Fowler released the following after Tuesday night’s state Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting.

"The South Carolina Democratic Party will request a waiver from the DNC in order that our presidential primary election can be held on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008, without violating DNC rules. The South Carolina Democratic Party will like to extend an invitation to South Carolina Republican Party Chair Katon Dawson to join us on Jan. 26 so that both parties can hold our presidential preference primaries on the same day. South Carolina’s Democrats and Republicans have an opportunity to save state taxpayer dollars if we come together and vote on the same day."
 

-For Immediate Release

October 4, 2007

Contact: Joe Werner
 

Columbia, SC--South Carolina Democratic Party Chair, Carol Fowler released the following statement in regards to today's The State newspaper article:

"With regard to the story in today's The State, it is true that South Carolina Democrats are considering asking the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee for a waiver to allow our primary to be earlier than January 29.  However, no such waiver has been requested and none will be until such a request has received the endorsement of the South Carolina Democratic Party's Executive Co! mmittee.

As to the date that will ultimately be set for the primary, that has yet to be determined.  It could be earlier or later than -the South Carolina Republican Primary.  The nominating calendar is still changing and might be for several more weeks."
 
 

August 9, 2007

Columbia, SC- South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler released the following statement on the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary date.

"South Carolina Democrats are committed to following the rules set forth by the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee. The date we've been given to have our Presidential Primary is January 29, 2008, and the penalties for changing it are severe. No matter what South Carolina Republicans do, we are committed to following the rules of our party."
 
 

Columbia, SC – Newly-elected South Carolina Democratic Party chair Carol Fowler released the following statement on Florida’s legislation regarding the 2008
presidential primary:

“The South Carolina Democratic Party is committed to working with the DNC to ensure that its original intentions, which are that South Carolina is the first Southern
state to hold its primary for the Democratic nomination, are carried out.

“The DNC chose South Carolina as an important early primary state because of our diverse population and because South Carolina is the perfect state for
person-to-person, retail politics. We’re committed to working with the DNC to follow the rules and ensure that its original intentions are carried out. We believe that
the process spelled out in the DNC’s rules is most likely to result in the selection of the strongest possible nominee.”