Long picks up funding edge in House District 45 race
Republican Deborah Long and Democrat Fred Thomas are both working to gather support before the November election, when voters will decide which candidate will serve as the House District 45 representative.
As far as war chests go, Long has spent more to date on the campaign than what Thomas has raised in total. According to her most recent filing with the South Carolina State Ethics Commission, Long has raised $47,875. She estimates that she has spent between $20,000 and $25,000 on her campaign so far. The majority of the campaign expenses have gone to a consultant, she said, who's helped her create a marketing plan for the campaign.
Some people have criticized her for spending so much money, Long said, when she claims to be a fiscal conservative.
"But when you're serious, if you're going to seriously run for office, you have to put forth some effort and spend some money," Long said.
Thomas did not say how much he has spent to date on his campaign, except to say that it "is not enough." He has raised $19,428.21, according to his most recent filing with the ethics commission.
He cites the economy as one of his major concerns, along with addressing infrastructure needs in the district. Bringing in new industries is also a primary concern, he added, but he hopes to bring in businesses that hire locally.
"It's not enough to just bring in a splashy new organization and fill it with people driving down from Charlotte. Any incentives to corporations should be structured to reward the hiring of Fort Mill residents," Thomas said.
"At the end of the day, our responsibility is to convince the voters that we are prepared to lead, not that we can stick 500 yard signs in the ground in and around Fort Mill," Thomas said.
As the election nears, Long, an ophthalmologist and owner of Fort Mill Vision Center, is putting her time into meeting people by appearing at festivals such as the recent Celebrate Van Wyck festival, and attending "meet and greet" parties where she can mingle with small groups of voters and discuss issues that are important to them.
Thomas, a Lancaster County councilman, is employing some traditional methods of campaigning, including placing signs along roads and in the yards of supporters, but he is also working to create nontraditional methods of campaigning, he said.
Long has owned and operated Fort Mill Vision Center for more than 20 years, and said that she has had to be fiscally responsible in order to keep her business thriving. One of the issues she frequently discusses on the campaign trail is how she'll demonstrate that fiscal responsibility if elected.
"When you are in the state legislature, you're responsible for spending other people's money, which is even scarier. When you read about how some of our tax money is spent, it's sickening," Long said.
As Thomas and Long prepare for election day, voters can expect civilized campaigns from both candidates. When they won the primary, the candidates agreed to run a campaign based on facts and issues, eschewing personal attacks, Thomas said.
"We have and will continue to do just this. After watching what's going on in Washington, this is refreshing," Thomas said.
This story was originally published September 16, 2008 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Long picks up funding edge in House District 45 race."