The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 68

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER 4Y Tlirusnw NOVKMUEH HI'IS Sf" twruP9 ELECTION rn Down-home roots may be key to Spratt win PARTIAL 5TH DISTRICT RESULTS BY COUNTY Partial county-by-county results in 5th District congressional race with 95 percent of precincts reporting County Spratt Burkhold Nevins Broach said But he said "I think he was destined to win anyway got very deep roots in the district Burkhold while he ran an aggressive campaign has very little political base" Spratt said he and the rest of the Democratic Party learned from the in 1994 when Republicans gained control of the US House A few days after that election Spratt said he and other Democratic leaders were called to Washington for a strategy session where they listened to corporate marketing analysts tell them how to the Democratic message "They told us make it clean straight and Spratt said Spratt said he focused on the 1997 balanced budget agreement which he helped write his experience and his drive to preserve Social Security and Medicare responded to he said Rock Hill and York York County also voted for Republicans David Beasley and Bob Inglis Other counties bucked their previously Republican trend Kershaw County voted against Spratt in 1994 and 1996 but 52 percent of Kershaw County voters backed the Democrat on Tuesday BeBe Bailey chair of the Kershaw County Democratic Party said Spratt did a better job communicating his message to voters hit education and Social Security she said "He got his message out on Social Security and 1 think that meant a Burkhold who spent Wednesday packing up his campaign office said he thought Spratt would not have won without the boost from the race where Democrat Jim Hodges was also victorious Glen Broach a Winthrop political scientist disagreed "The Democratic surge added a (percentage) point or two to his victory no doubt about it" 5th District? It says something Spratt believes that people who live so far away cared enough to cook him the tasty chicken-and-rice stew and drive more than three hours to feed his party "I couldn't have asked for a nicer birthday Spratt said Wednesday reflecting on the election as he helped pack up his campaign office a good healthy sign of my service in the Alan Brigman mayor of Latta said Spratt won the election by staying in touch with his constituents on and off the campaign trail you need to talk to him you can call him and return your said Brigman he gets elected just as much for the people as he was York County home base emerged as his weakest area York County voters favored Burk-hold with 51 percent of the vote Burkhold dominated the northern precincts of Fort Mill and Tega Cay while Spratt won boxes in By REBECCA COOK Stall Writer rock hill US Rep John Spratt won bigger Tuesday night than he has since 1992 He won every county in the 5th District but York County He even won Sumter and Kershaw counties both of which voted for his Republican opponent in 1994 and 1996 While unusually strong Democratic turnout boosted Spratt he said he won mostly because he worked hard at spreading his message to all 13 counties of his sprawling district both as a candidate and as a congressman Spratt tasted a hint of his election-night victory on Sunday when his family and friends threw him a surprise 56th birthday party in York Victory tasted like chicken chicken bog to be exact a special dish cooked up by friends in Latta a small town in the easternmost comer of the district What does chicken bog have to do with a 57 percent victory in the Source: Associated Press Candidates edgy waiting on tally Some final tabulations hours late ELECTION ROUNDUP In race voter turnout dips below 1994 level numbers were unofficial An Eckstrom spokeswoman said he refused to discuss the race The Democrats were helped into office by Jim upset of Republican Gov David Beasley who was seeking a second term Courson said he was up all night monitoring returns even though he assumed he had lost once exit poll results started coming in Tuesday evening been a very interesting he said the closest in state He called Lander to congratulate him Wednesday before the race officially was called were unofficial Democrat Grady Patterson who served seven terms as state treasurer under six governors took back the job from Republican Richard Eckstrom who unseated him in 1994 kept working counting numbers and calling said Patterson who tried to keep busy and keep his mind off the race until it was called Patterson received 519230 votes to 514405 for Eckstrom with 99 percent of precincts reporting The By LEIGH STROPE Associated Press Columbia The victory parties were hours late but just as sweet for candidates who learned Wednesday they had won their races was tough going to said Democratic Sen Jim Lander of Newberry who was declared comptroller general after getting 509683 votes to 506262 for Republican Sen John Courson of Columbia with 99 percent of precincts reporting The numbers Voting in Camelot very pleased with how the campaign was conducted with a great deal of civility and Courson said we set the standard for other Lander said he will miss sitting by Courson in the Senate and Courson said he wishes his friend well a campaign runs that close you always think about what you could have done differently to alter the he said But learning the outcome even though not in his favor was a relief Courson said I will be able to get some rest he said Lancaster poll error may force 2nd vote By MELISSA MANWARE Staff Writer i Lancaster Some Lancaster County voters may have to go back to the polls to elect their school board representative because of a mix-up at one precinct Peter Barry received 42 more votes than Robert Parker Jr on Tuesday to win the District 3 school board race according to a complete but unofficial count The problem is that 46 voters in the Hyde Park precinct were given the wrong ballot and get to vote for either guy That was enough votes to possibly change the outcome of the election so Parker plans to ask the Lancaster County Registration and Election Commission to hold a new election he said say whether it would have gone your way or not but it 1 fair to either one of 1 Parker said Wednesday was only like a 42-vote difference between us I have done this if it had been 300 or Barry got 1068 votes or 51 percent compared to 1026 votes or 49 percent George Morton the registration and election commission chair- man said Parker has a right to protest the outcome If he does the board will hold a hearing to decide whether he gets a new election In District 1 voters chose Brian 1 Carnes over Shermon Ghent Jimmy Everidge and Joe Sutton Carnes drew 1090 votes or 64 percent compared to 149 or 9 percent 191 or 11 i percent and 260 votes or 15 percent Carnes 39 the father of three school-age children is a self-employed repre- sentative He campaigned on raising standardized test scores preparing for growth and getting more computers in classrooms District 5 voters overwhelmingly elected Joey Bailey Jr to represent them for the next four years Bailey got 1653 votes or 67 percent to Wendell 380 or 16 percent and George Waldrop 414 or 17 percent Bailey 39 is co-owner of Greenhouse and has three young children He said the district needs to recruit and keep quality teachers raise its standardized test scores and reduce class sizes Voters chose Lisa Bridges over Donald Huffman in District 7 Bridges received 1525 or 71 percent to 615 votes or 29 percent Bridges 40 is a homemaker and former teacher She said her experience as a parent volunteer teacher and school improvement council member qualify her for the job Turnout Tuesday was down in both York and Lancaster counties compared with the last time South Carolinians elected a governor elections officials said About 60 percent of registered voters filled in ballots Tuesday in Lancaster County down about 5 percent The turnout was 51 percent in York County down 11 percent from 1994 Early returns reflect outcome in race Early results Tuesday evening scared GOP enthusiasts because the party was behind in so many SC races But the taly that may have raised the most eyebrows was for the attorney race in which early returns showed Democratic challenger Tom Tumipseed in front with 52 percent of the vote Republican Attorney General Charlie Condon who thought so little of his opponent that he even campaign said he believe his eyes thought gosh Tumipseed this is a disaster for us really getting wiped out Condon said later in the evening I finally got a report on what counties had come in I was like oh OK Apparently a lot of the Democratic precincts got reported Apparently Tumipseed ended up getting 46 percent of the vote Beasley bids fond farewell to in the state When Gov David Beasley finally appeared before supporters Tuesday night in Columbia to concede the election his wife Mary Wood cried at the applause sorry" she mumbled to her husband as he brushed tears from her cheek He told the crowd he had spoken to Hodges earlier and told him: got a lot of work to do and I look forward to sitting down with you and telling you about the greatest job in South Carolina After speaking for about five minutes he ended on a happy note want you all to keep us in your prayers because you know got another big he said smiling with his arm around his eight-months-pregnant wife got a baby coming in about five Before leaving the restaurant in Columbia where his party gathered he walked through the crowd shaking the hands of some supporters and emotionally hugging others By then his cheeks were damp and a lone tear rested alongside his nose members stick with Beasley to the end After Beasley conceded Dean and Shirley Anderson sat glumly on the stage where he had just spoken Dean wore a Republican elephant tie Shirley wore an American flag scarf and they both wore buttons proclaiming The Greenville couple were among first supporters when he started out on his first bid for governor back in 1993 when only 2 percent of the population recognized his name The Andersons recalled when they first met the Beasleys during an early campaign trip to Greenville met Mary Wood in a Bible Shirley said where 1 met David in a Bible Dean said know him from house cat But he told me who he was and what he stood for and I said David everything talking about everything you stand for is exactly what I stand for such a shock that gone" he said was prepared for anything but a governorship for a second term But a young man got a big future ahead of Dean Anderson patted his button keep that the rest of my he said Spratt waxes poetic (Yeats) in victory speech go out on a limb here and say that John Spratt was probably the only candidate in South Carolina who recited poetry during his victory speech Spratt a graduate of Davidson Oxford and Yale won his ninth term in the US House Tuesday night At the VFW hall in Rock Hill below a slowly turning disco ball Spratt Spratt thanked everyone from his campaign manager to the people who put up his red-and-white signs Then he turned to his wife Jane and asked if was OK for him to read a poem he read the night he was first elected 16 years ago She gave him an indulgent smile and he recited the last stanza of William Butler Municipal Gallery where glory most begins and ends And say my glory was I had such The crowd burst into applause as Spratt left the podium Republican vote bucked statewide trend York County: a Republican dream York County dived right over the Democratic wave that swept South Carolina York County was one of 10 counties in the state that favored Inglis one of 1 1 that favored Beasley and the only county in the 5th District that favored Mike Burkhold Alert: Clock is ticking on removal of campaign signs By next Saturday Nov 14 Rock highways and other-ways should be cleared of the bouquets of campaign signs this election tossed around town Or so says the city ordinance: The deadline to remove signs is 10 days after the election noticed some of them are already said Jerry Sweatt a consultant with the city planning department saw a lot of signs gone at 7:25 this morning when I came to work So maybe a good In Lancaster signs in the city must be down seven days after the election and within 15 days in the county Compiled by Jonathan Dube and Rebecca Cook DIEDRA LAIRDStaff Ruth and Douglas Jones of Rock Hill cast their ballots in front of a huge castle decorating the stage at York Road Elementary polling place on Tuesday Voters ambush conventional wisdom on amendment limiting rights By LEIGH STROPE Associated Press Columbia SC voters did the unexpected and rejected a controversial constitutional amendment to limit the Victims Bill of Rights Political experts say amendments usually pass But South Carolinians rejected Amendment No 1 on Tuesday by a 2 percent margin: fewer than 18000 votes out of almost 885000 cast The numbers were unofficial The amendment would have given legislators leeway to exclude victims of some crimes from a requirement they be notified of legal developments in their cases these things pass unless they raise questions about said Eldon Wedlock constitutional law professor at the said The wording on the ballot was confusing and the group had to work hard to explain it to people she said Four other constitutional changes that voters supported Tuesday still need the approval before they take effect Voters agreed to end the century-old ban on interracial marriages and they agreed that legislative candidates should be required to live in the districts they want to represent Voters also approved an amendment allowing counties to create tax districts and sell bonds to finance improvements and encourage redevelopment And they approved a measure allowing public college endowments to be invested in the stock market University of South Carolina The Victims Bill of Rights passed overwhelmingly in 1996 Voters this time most likely thought lawmakers were trying to restrict those rights Wedlock said Those backing the change said notifying victims in every case would bankrupt the state But opponents said the change would gut the bill of rights that voters approved adding to the constitution two years ago you have any idea what a huge victory this said Mary Ann Miller a volunteer with the SC Victims Assistance Network been such a struggle to educate people on the The group found out about the amendment about three weeks before Election Day and began calling voters and putting up signs she A.