Bauer: State House to House?

On Wednesday, South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer posted on his Facebook page the following: “Moving into my new home in Greenville.”

Good for him.  I Greenville is a nice place.  In fact, the Lt. Gov. owns property in a variety of nice places in the state.  Such ownership has helped fuel speculation that Bauer may change his mind about running for governor next year and, instead, run for Congress.  The most recent – and persistent – rumors indicate that Bauer will challenge Rep. Bob Inglis for the Republican nomination for the 4th District congressional seat.

Greenville is in the 4th.

In addition to the Lt. Gov. conveniently changing his residence, there are a few other political tidbits aligning to give this story legs.

Attorney General Henry McMaster and Third District Congressman Gresham Barrett have announced their candidacies for Governor, giving Bauer some heavyweight opposition.  Although Bauer is reportedly awash with money, there are questions about his ability to out-raise McMaster, his biggest competitor as the “establishment” candidate. A cursory look at funds indicates Bauer currently holds less than half of what either Barrett or McMaster have banked.  Newcomer Nikki Haley has less than half of what Bauer holds, but is moving up fast in collections and pledges.

All three – Barrett, Bauer and McMaster – are outflanked on the right by Haley who also has the advantage of being the fresh face in the contest.

The point is, the race for governor next year is getting crowded and Andre Bauer may not fare so well as “one of several,” particularly when most of the “several” will be able to match or exceed his own fundraising.

True enough, the race in the 4th is crowded, too, but Bauer has significant name recognition and apparently has more cash on hand for campaigning than all the other candidates combined.  In fact, he may have more money than all candidates in the 3rd and 4th combined.

Additionally, with increasing talk about Governor Mark Sanford resigning from office, there is even more incentive for Bauer to go for the 4th.  Though it would seem odd that as the “interim Governor,” Bauer would run to be elected to a post he would hold next year, there isn’t likely to be an advantage by sitting in that chair.  Although he could run for governor as governor, he still must contend with a very strong slate of opponents.  However, running for Congress as governor may well be a lock.  Besides, he would still get to put “former Governor of South Carolina” on his resume.

So, “home” for Andre Bauer may not just be Greenville, but the “House.”