News - Local/State

Friday, Aug. 01, 2008

Challenger to Spratt walks a lonely road

Spencer attends 1st York County event before Nov. election

U.S. House candidate Albert Spencer marked a campaign milestone last week when he showed up for his first appearance in York County.

With three months left before a rematch against Rep. John Spratt, the Republican from Gaffney has yet to hold a news conference, buy an advertisement, put out a yard sign or request a debate.

When Spencer tells listeners he's not a politician, he means it.

"We haven't done that yet," said Spencer, 64, a physical education teacher at Limestone College. "We're still working on trying to enhance our economic situation so we can do those kinds of things."

In a speech to local Republicans, Spencer cast Spratt as a liberal who supports abortion rights and higher taxes. That line of attack hasn't worked in a dozen previous elections, but Spencer seems undeterred.

"I'm not sure some of the past nominees have stressed his voting record," he said in a later interview. "John Spratt, as you know, is very fond of numbers. Well, one of the numbers he's not pointing out is a 96 percent liberal voting record."

That number refers to the percentage of votes on which Spratt sides with the Democratic Party, according to The Washington Post. The overall party average is 92 percent. The Almanac of American Politics rates Spratt as "moderate, a bit to the left of the middle."

Spencer spotlights abortion

A devout Catholic, Spencer fiercely opposes abortion rights. He favors a Constitutional amendment outlawing abortion and ending what he calls "a culture of death."

Spratt supports abortion rights in the first three months of pregnancy but has voted against using Medicaid to fund the procedure. If nothing else, the contest with Spencer could force Spratt to talk further about his stance on a deeply emotional issue.

"Running every other year takes a large part of the time you otherwise commit to constituent matters," Spratt said recently. "I'd like to have that time to spend on different projects. But nevertheless, it's a healthy part of the process."

A respectable showing

Given his nonexistent name recognition, Spencer enjoyed decent success in his 2004 run. He raised no money and didn't buy any advertising, yet managed to earn 37 percent of the vote in a year when President Bush headlined the top of the Republican ticket.

This time, Spencer's campaign strategy mirrors 2004, when he asked supporters to donate to their favorite charities rather than give to him.

The latest filings show Spratt with $686,000 in cash on hand. Spencer counters with less than $3,000, not enough to trigger public disclosure.

"If ... you still wish to contribute a small amount to help us with our campaign costs, to be honest, it would be helpful," Spencer wrote on his Web site.