re: #464 HappyWarrior

Agreed. BD, have you guys got any early visitors? Or is it way way too early?

None that I know of—everything now is on our governor’s race, and the yam will probably put in an appearance, or at least run his mouth, for his good buddy Henry McMaster (the reason we have Nikki at the UN, so Henry can run as an incumbent.)

I want the guv primary to be over already (seems like it has been going on forever) and I hope my candidate/team gets the Dem nod. It’s a great team—James Smith and Mandy Powers-Norell. Mandy is my very favorite state legislator and she and James together are a dynamic duo.

James was a JAG officer for eight years in the S.C. Army National Guard, then he enlisted in the infantry after visiting Ground Zero. He went through basic training at 37 and then deployed to Afghanistan in 2007. He served about a year commanding a nine-man team as a combat adviser to Afghan security forces in remote parts of the country. He’s been in the SC House since 1997 and is known for being able to gather support across the aisle to counter some of the crazier GOP crap.

And Mandy is smart, engaging and makes a perfect partner for James.

Norrell represents rural Lancaster County, a contrast to Smith’s urban Columbia district. She also was the first in her family to graduate from college, paying tuition by working at a textile mill.

Norrell’s State House colleagues sang her praises Tuesday, pointing to her upbringing and experience.

“She has proven herself to be someone who has a lot of respect up here (at the State House),” said state Sen. Thomas McElveen, D-Sumter, who has not endorsed a Democratic candidate for governor. “She is a pragmatist. She’s a bridge builder and someone who has proven that she can get things done.”

Norrell is seen as a rising star in the state Democratic Party, having delivered her party’s response to Republican Gov. Nikki Haley’s State of the State address in 2016.