PPP: SC-1 'Moving in Sanford's Direction'

PPP: SC-1 'Moving in Sanford's Direction'
Mike Flynn

Public Policy Polling, a Democrat polling firm, reported Saturday that the dynamics of the special election in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District have changed in the final days of the campaign. With the vote just two days away, PPP says the contest between former Gov. Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch is “moving in Sanford’s direction.”

PPP attributes the swing towards Sanford to his successfully “nationalizing” the race, making it a referendum on Barack Obama and House Dem Leader Nancy Pelosi. National Democrats have committed more than $1 million dollars to support Colbert Busch. 

A source with close ties to Democrats told Breitbart News that a victory in South Carolina on Tuesday would allow the national Democrats to pitch political investors that they have a shot at winning back the House in 2014. It would help them raise funds to increase the number of districts they can contest. Democrats need a net-gain of 17 seats to regain the majority. 

National Republicans aren’t lending any support to Sanford. A Republican strategist told Breitbart News that the NRCC, under new leadership, will only commit to races where a win is almost guaranteed. As a result, Sanford has been badly outspent by Colbert Busch and the Democrats. 

This massive support may be backfiring, though. It certainly provides Sanford an important talking point in arguing that he is running against Obama and Pelosi as much as Colbert Busch. Her campaign has been built on avoiding issues that would tie her too closely to national Democrat positions unpopular in the district. The enormous outside support Colbert Busch has received from Pelosi and other national Democrats may be too much for voters to ignore. 

Follow Mike Flynn on Twitter: @Flynn1776

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