During the 2012 Republican presidential primary, S.C. Senator Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) was one of the most coveted endorsements on the “First in the South” political board. The Politico named him one of its “50 politicos to watch” in early voting states, while a CNN story referenced him as a “rising star” in the national Tea Party movement.
To many insiders, though, Davis squandered his moment – choosing to endorse U.S. Rep. Ron Paul over a trio of establishment “Republicans.” Paul wound up finishing in fourth place in the Palmetto State – although his 80,000 votes represented a five-fold increase over his support from 2008.
So … did Davis squander his moment?
We don’t think so …
Davis’ decision to endorse Paul has netted him an energized army of new South Carolina supporters – a potent base from which to launch a statewide campaign. And Davis has shown remarkable adeptness at rallying this growing movement behind him – mixing Paul’s libertarian ideology with a fierce populist stump presence that’s eerily reminiscent of the late Louisiana Gov. Huey Long (minus the “every man a king” socialism, naturally).
In an especially feisty speech earlier this week, Davis welcomed Paul to South Carolina – praising him among other things for his efforts to audit the Federal Reserve.
“This is not a Republican issue, it’s not a Democratic issue, it’s not a Libertarian issue, it’s an American issue,” Davis said in his speech. ”It’s in our DNA as Americans to stand up as free people.”
