Asked to stay away, 2020 Dems will make their mark at SC teacher rally in other ways
Democrats who hope to be elected president in 2020 have been asked to stay away from the State House by a state lawmaker on Wednesday when thousands of S.C. teachers are expected to gather to call for higher pay and better working conditions.
But the candidates’ absence does not mean their presence won’t be felt.
Wednesday’s rally features speakers who have endorsed 2020 Democratic candidates, including CNN contributor and former state Rep. Bakari Sellers, who supports U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, and state Rep. Ivory Thigpen, D-Richland, who is supporting U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
A handful of campaigns also say they will have operatives at the State House rally, including staff working for Harris and Sanders, former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign declined to comment.
One campaign’s effort to grab some of the spotlight at the march — organized by SCforEd, a grassroots teachers group — stands out.
Sellers, a Harris campaign co-chair who has more than 200,000 Twitter followers, told The State Monday he was invited to speak, but he had planned to show up anyway, “even if I had to hand out cheese sandwiches or make signs,” he said. “This is not a Republican or Democrat ideal. It’s about standing up.”
Asked whether he plans to insert Harris’ name into his remarks, Sellers said he plans to let teachers know who supports them.
A release from the Harris campaign Monday also plugged Sellers’ appearance at the rally, saying Sellers will “highlight educational inequality in the Palmetto State” and Harris proposal to increase teacher pay.
“For me, it’s not a campaign rally,” Sellers said. “It’s just about supporting teachers and helping them amplify their voice.”
Meanwhile, Warren’s campaign said Monday the U.S. senator from Massachusetts will hold a conference call at noon Wednesday with five S.C. teachers, including a SCforED board member, to talk about what is happening inside their classrooms, why they are rallying and what led them to leave school.
Not everyone watching the teacher rally is keen to hear 2020 politics Wednesday.
“It’s disappointing that presidential candidates are attempting to insert themselves for something so critical for teachers and students in South Carolina,” state Sen. Mike Fanning, a Democrat from Fairfield and former educator, who told The State 2020 campaigns should stay away from the rally and let the focus be on teachers.
“I’ll be working to minimize that as best as I can.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Asked to stay away, 2020 Dems will make their mark at SC teacher rally in other ways."
