The Other McCain

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More ‘Inappropriate’ Stuff in S.C. UPDATE: Larry Marchant Claimed 2008 One-Night Stand With Nikki Haley! UPDATE: Video; Bauer ‘Desperate’?

Posted on | June 2, 2010 | 33 Comments

8:55 p.m. ET: John O’Connor is covering the gubernatorial debate tonight in South Carolina and Tweets:

Haley to Bauer: “Y’all were fishing the story last night and you didn’t fire him yesterday.” Only fired when no one took story seriously

8:10 p.m. ET: Haley campaign statement to WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C.:

“This is a false and outrageous desperate attack from a losing candidate’s campaign consultant in the final week of the race.”

11:15 p.m. ET: A longer version of Jim Davenport’s AP story includes this useful information:

Bauer had paid Marchant’s Black Label Strategies $21,361 since he formally opened his campaign account for governor in October. He also paid Black Label $29,099 in 2009, according to campaign finance reports.

And the Columbia (S.C.) State reports:

Folks, Marchant and Bauer have had business relationships. Long-time Bauer advisor Rod Shealy hired Folks in 2006 to work for former state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel’s campaign. Folks said Wednesday that Marchant also hired him to work on school-choice issues but that work ended in 2005.
The political ties between Folks and Marchant make their claims tougher to believe, said Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon. . . .
“More names with no more proof is certainly going to make it look like Nikki Haley is under attack,” Huffmon said. “It’s probably going to end up, in the mind of the public, needing a higher level of proof.
“What we have irrefutable evidence of in South Carolina is political incest.”

Melissa Clouthier comments:

Nikki Haley has a family; and her family, her children, hear these stories. These political operatives show an absolute callous disregard for her life. A friend of mine mentioned the deep misogyny involved here and that Will Folks, in particular, has a history of misogyny and objectification of women in both his writing and his actions.
Where are the feminists? Oh right, she’s a Republican.

Dan Riehl wonders if this is some kind of political pornography.

6:54 p.m. ET: Jim Davenport of the Associated Press:

A lobbyist who resigned from a rival political campaign is claiming to have had a tryst with a South Carolina lawmaker trying to become the state’s first female governor. . . .
Marchant says their one-night stand happened in 2008 during a trip to Utah.

7:20 p.m. ET: OK, as readers might guess, this was the “very interesting report” I’d heard earlier about Larry Marchant’s resignation from the Andre Bauer campaign: Marchant had gone to media outlets telling them this story and, when Bauer found out about it, Marchant got the ax.

We’ll wait to see how this plays out, but frankly it looks to me as if Haley’s enemies have become desperate to destroy her. It seems to me that voters in South Carolina now must ask themselves which of two things was true: Either (a) Haley was just spreadin’ the love around to every GOP operative in South Carolina, or (b) she is the victim of a vicious smear campaign.

My guess is that they’ll believe (b).

7:45 p.m. ET: A South Carolina reader sends me this photo:

According to the reader, this shows Bauer’s campaign bus parked in front of Larry Marchant’s office at 4 p.m. Wednesday — four hours after Marchant supposedly resigned from the campaign.

Say this about South Carolina Republicans: They’re world champions at campaign shenanigans.

7:55 p.m. ET: In December, Larry Marchant was busted for DUI. Of course, just because he’s a drunk driver doesn’t mean he’s the kind of backstabbing scumbag who would lie about shagging a Republican gubernatorial candidate, but . . .

8:50 p.m. ET: Allahpundit:

At this point I half-hope that all these charges against her are true, just because that’d actually be less depressing than the thought of this many lying scumbags running around South Carolina smearing innocent people.

PREVIOUSLY: Dare we suspect this is connected to the Folks-Haley saga? Oh, yes, we do. We do dare indeed!

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Andre Bauer said today he has asked for and received the resignation of a political consultant for “inappropriate conduct” but would say little more.
Lt. Gov. Bauer announced that adviser Larry Marchant gave him his resignation at noon today.
Bauer said he had become aware of a situation several days ago, and reached the conclusion that decisive action was dictated.

Astute readers will recall when it was  first suggested those close to the Bauer campaign had a role in pushing the Folks allegations against Nikki Haley. It was a commenter who pointed me to one connection, and now the same source blogs:

Evidently the connections we made here and here are started to get some heads rolling.

Of course, we don’t know that Marchant was involved, but absent any other explanation, the shadow of suspicion now looms.

UPDATE: Traffic indicates renewed interest today in the Jake Knotts/Rod Shealy connection to the Bauer campaign, and remember that it was Will Folks himself who wrote in March:

Bauer is currently being advised by longtime confidant Rod Shealy, Sr. and Columbia lobbyist/ consultant Larry Marchant.

So now, amid the Folks-Haley imbroglio, Marchant is asked to resign for “inappropriate conduct.” To quote Allahpundit: Hmmmmm.

UPDATE II: If what I just heard about Marchant’s resignation is true . . . oh, boy. But I got it third-hand, so I’ll have to keep you wondering. When I told one source that I’d heard a very interesting report, the source replied, “Well, whatever it is, I won’t be surprised. It’s South Carolina.”

UPDATE III: Linked by Moe Lane at Red State. Thanks!

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Category: Scandal, South Carolina

Comments

  • Pingback: Will Folks Story Doesn’t Hold Water; Nikki Haley Undamaged by S.C. Rumor : The Other McCain

  • Pingback: Stacy McCain: Heads Rolling In South Carolina | Liberty Pundits Blog

  • yarrrrr

    Do you believe this McCain?

  • yarrrrr

    Do you believe this McCain?

  • chercast

    …AP reporter “Jim Davenport” not “Larry Davenport”

  • chercast

    …AP reporter “Jim Davenport” not “Larry Davenport”

  • ConcernedforSC

    A conversation between Larry Marchant and Larry’s wife

    http://palmstatepolitics.blogspot.com/2010/06/hold-your-horses-here.html

  • ConcernedforSC

    A conversation between Larry Marchant and Larry’s wife

    http://palmstatepolitics.blogspot.com/2010/06/hold-your-horses-here.html

  • gahanson

    Hasn’t Huckabee endorsed Bauer. Interesting how all these rumors came out AFTER Palin’s endorsement of Haley, and her subsequent climbing into 1st place. Wouldn’t be surprised if Huck didn’t have his fingers in this this trying to advance his guy, and take out Palin’s candidate.

  • gahanson

    Hasn’t Huckabee endorsed Bauer. Interesting how all these rumors came out AFTER Palin’s endorsement of Haley, and her subsequent climbing into 1st place. Wouldn’t be surprised if Huck didn’t have his fingers in this this trying to advance his guy, and take out Palin’s candidate.

  • blaster

    This should bury Bauer.

    Like I said, his skeletons are not even in the closet.

  • blaster

    This should bury Bauer.

    Like I said, his skeletons are not even in the closet.

  • yarrrrr

    This was the key part of the exchange between Haley and Bauer…

    http://twitter.com/johnroconnor/statuses/15287614991

    I hope someone uploads the video…

  • yarrrrr

    This was the key part of the exchange between Haley and Bauer…

    http://twitter.com/johnroconnor/statuses/15287614991

    I hope someone uploads the video…

  • TR Sterling

    RSM,
    Reddogreport (6/1/2010) “All I know, is the last thing that I would want is a pro like Erick Erickson pissed off at me, a bloodhound like Stacy McCain on my trail, or a pitbull like Dan Riehl out to prove me wrong.”

    I thought dog fighting was illegal in most states?

    Woof. Go get em Stacy!

  • TR Sterling

    RSM,
    Reddogreport (6/1/2010) “All I know, is the last thing that I would want is a pro like Erick Erickson pissed off at me, a bloodhound like Stacy McCain on my trail, or a pitbull like Dan Riehl out to prove me wrong.”

    I thought dog fighting was illegal in most states?

    Woof. Go get em Stacy!

  • Pingback: UNBELIEVEABLE: Nikki Haley Accused of Having ANOTHER Affair « Red Dog Report

  • http://fitsnews.com/ Will Folks

    OK, OK, I admit it. Larry Marchant and I did the horizontal Mambo. But it was just that one time. OK, twice. But that’s it. I’m only saying this to protect my family.

  • http://fitsnews.com/ Will Folks

    OK, OK, I admit it. Larry Marchant and I did the horizontal Mambo. But it was just that one time. OK, twice. But that’s it. I’m only saying this to protect my family.

  • Pingback: ESTABLISHED: South Carolina Is A Fetid Swamp Even By Political Standards | Liberty Pundits Blog

  • Estragon

    You should have seen Marchant giving an interview!

    He claims he was forced to come out because Folks did and Haley denied it “defiantly”!

    Now, how the heck would Marchant know what happened between Folks and Haley? And why would that force HIS hand?

    Don’t worry about his wife. She knows aaallll about Marchant, and has for a long time. When she wondered what was so funny about the “tea-bagging” remark, she knew just who to ask.

    I’m sorry for the pain Haley and her family are being subjected to, but she is holding up strong – if you watch her, even after being blindsided just before the debate last night, she was resolute, solid, confident, and angry.

    Bauer looked like every 10 year old kid in the world when he realizes Mom and Dad aren’t buying his story.

    Barrett and McMaster are going to have a hard time seeking relevance in this race, but I’d bet on McMaster ending in the run-off after the Bauer clip makes its rounds (and puts an end to one miserable narcissist’s political career) simply because he’s the only one who can say he and his campaign are completely uninvolved (AFAIK) – if there is one. The public mood seems to be changing, the transparent dirty tricks becoming obvious even to those subjected to our “49th-in-the-nation” public school system.

    Haley could win a majority next week, and not need a run-off.

  • Estragon

    You should have seen Marchant giving an interview!

    He claims he was forced to come out because Folks did and Haley denied it “defiantly”!

    Now, how the heck would Marchant know what happened between Folks and Haley? And why would that force HIS hand?

    Don’t worry about his wife. She knows aaallll about Marchant, and has for a long time. When she wondered what was so funny about the “tea-bagging” remark, she knew just who to ask.

    I’m sorry for the pain Haley and her family are being subjected to, but she is holding up strong – if you watch her, even after being blindsided just before the debate last night, she was resolute, solid, confident, and angry.

    Bauer looked like every 10 year old kid in the world when he realizes Mom and Dad aren’t buying his story.

    Barrett and McMaster are going to have a hard time seeking relevance in this race, but I’d bet on McMaster ending in the run-off after the Bauer clip makes its rounds (and puts an end to one miserable narcissist’s political career) simply because he’s the only one who can say he and his campaign are completely uninvolved (AFAIK) – if there is one. The public mood seems to be changing, the transparent dirty tricks becoming obvious even to those subjected to our “49th-in-the-nation” public school system.

    Haley could win a majority next week, and not need a run-off.

  • Dandapani

    Ok, let’s get this over with. WE ALL SLEPT WITH NIKKI HALLEY!

  • Dandapani

    Ok, let’s get this over with. WE ALL SLEPT WITH NIKKI HALLEY!

  • ConcernedforSC

    How bout Jake Knotts, Larry Richter’s partner in crime calling Nikki Haley a raghead. On the air…

    It really happened

    http://palmstatepolitics.blogspot.com/2010/06/jake-knotts-goes-racist-on-nikki-haley.html

  • ConcernedforSC

    How bout Jake Knotts, Larry Richter’s partner in crime calling Nikki Haley a raghead. On the air…

    It really happened

    http://palmstatepolitics.blogspot.com/2010/06/jake-knotts-goes-racist-on-nikki-haley.html

  • Pingback: Four Megahits of Joy Reliably Anticipated : The Other McCain

  • Pingback: From “Nikki Who?” to Nikki the “Raghead” Whore in Less Than a Month : Jenn Q. Public

  • Pingback: The New Agenda » Blog Archive » Nikki Haley: From Unknown to”Raghead” Whore in Less Than 2 Months

  • Florida Watching

    Been working the comments at Fits …. just don’t know about those folks. Super Haley supporters…….but why?

  • Florida Watching

    Been working the comments at Fits …. just don’t know about those folks. Super Haley supporters…….but why?

  • Pingback: “Then They Call You a Whore…” : Right Turns Only

  • Pingback: “Then They Call You a Whore”: The Systematic Smearing of Nikki Haley, Part III | RedState