If you thought you felt a tremor or two on Tuesday, you just may have. Call it an earthquake, a tidal wave or yes, even a tsunami - November 2, 2010 will go down in political history as one of the biggest repudiations of a specific party on record. Thank you, Mr. President. Volumes will be written about the 2010 election and we will leave that for others to tackle. Here, as briefly as possible, are some of the things worth noting about yesterday’s results: 

The Tea Party: It is for real. Whether organized or unorganized, the enthusiasm, anger, or interest created by the emergence of the “tea party” movement played a highly significant role in Tuesday’s results. The GOP was the benefactor of this wave of voter engagement to be sure, but we believe that this was as much or more about a vote against the Democrats than it was “for” Republicans. The GOP leadership must remember this......Read more.

The second quarter campaign finance report is now available for SC candidates running for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Superintendent of Education and U.S. Senate. Current State House Chairmen and their opponents are also listed.

The data is cumulative totals through June 30, 2010 and was gathered from the State Ethics Commission's reporting site at SC.GOV. The next quarterly report is due October 10, 2010.

Click here to view the 2nd quarter report.

This week we got a look at the gubernatorial campaigns finances, just in time to enter the home stretch to the June Primaries. Here’s our take on what the reporting revealed:

First, it does not take much of a leap to suggest that Sen. Vincent Sheheen (D-Camden) will be the Democratic nominee. His closest competition had been expected to be Jim Rex, the current Superintendent of Education, whose campaign has not seemed to have materialized and who reported abysmal fundraising numbers. It is not likely he will have the cash to get on television, which, in a statewide race, is lethal. Sen. Sheheen, however, reported just over $800,000 on hand.  Sheheen has run a smart, steady race for the Democratic nomination while others have come and gone. While not seen as the most charismatic figure, he has long been considered the Democratic Party’s best hope for victory in the fall. Sheheen would be wise to spend frugally in the primary, and can only hope that the GOP candidates chew each other up on the airwaves, as many expect them to do.

As for the GOP Primary – Barrett shows a roughly $200,000 lead over McMaster and Bauer, with Haley trailing all three considerably. Barrett showed $1,566,221.00, McMaster showed $1,438,351.00 and Bauer showed $1,398,689.00 while Haley reported $530,022.00. So, what does this mean?  First, it would be nice to own a television station in SC right about now. McMaster and Bauer are the most well known, so both must get beyond their core support. They have to find a way to appeal to people who already know them, but are not supportng their candidacy (think Beasley's US Senate bid in 2004). It is unlikely that Haley will be the nominee or make a run off though not impossible. Still, her funds, matched with another round of third party attacks could take a toll on Barrett.  The top three names are basically in a dead heat now, with the most recent movement coming from Barrett, who was the least known. We do agree that Barrett still has some opportunity to expand his support with GOP Primary voters, but we think he is walking a fine line. Yes, we know, it is a GOP Primary. Yes, perhaps you can’t ever get too far to the Right here. But voters in Greenville and voters in HHI are not the same, and they all get to vote on the same day. As for McMaster, he is probably the one candidate we have always seen making it into the run-off, but he is going to have to expand his support if he goes beyond that. Of course, history tells us to never count Bauer out; he apparently has the ability to raise or personally contribute whatever he needs to stay in the game. As for who would be the strongest nominee in the fall though, too early to tell – this primary will provide a good answer to that.

2010 1st Quarter Campaign Finance Report

GREENVILLE, SC - The Felkel Group posted a report today showing fourth quarter campaign contributions and expenditures of SC candidates running for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and current State Senate and House Chairmen.  The information listed is cumulative totals through December 31, 2009.  This data was gathered from the State Ethics Commission's reporting site at SCGOV.org. The next quarterly report is due April 10, 2010.

The so-called “super conglomerate” swooped into town Monday to provide a big helping hand for local families in need.

Jim Torgerson, regional market manager for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., presented a check for $40,000 to Room at the Inn of the Lowcountry. The grant will support the organization’s efforts to provide shelter and quality maternity service to the community’s homeless pregnant women and their children.

“Wal-Mart is focused on supporting organizations that are making a direct impact on the lives of individuals in our communities,” Torgerson said.

Room at the Inn of the Lowcountry is clearly changing the lives of these young women and theirchildrenbyprovidinghope for better lives and answering their basic needs.” Room at the Inn of the Lowcountry is licensed by the S.C. Department of Social Services to serve 13 adolescents (males, birth to 6 years of age; and females, birth to 21 years of age). At any given time, it cares for up to six mothers and their children at the McGivney Maternity Home in Bluffton. Annually this equates to between 35 and 40 clients served by RATI.

The Felkel Group posted a report today showing third quarter campaign contributions and expenditures of SC candidates running for Governor and current State Senate and House Chairmen. The information listed is cumulative totals through September 30, 2009.  This data was gathered from the State Ethics Commission's reporting site at SCGOV.org. The next quarterly report is due January 10, 2010.

South Carolina’s clean energy jobs grew 36% between 1998 and 2007, 16 times faster than the overall job market. Mike Cale, CEO of Utility Partners of America, calls these “green collar” jobs. With slightly morethan 315 jobs, Cale expects UPA to employ upward of 1,000 workers in the near future.

GSA Business: How has the company grown since 1997, and how have you managed that growth?

Mike Cale: The founder of the company, Todd Stone, is my partner. Todd and I met in 2006 quite by accident. I invested heavily into the company, and I think the first year we doubled sales and the second year we tripled sales. Our growth is largely managed because we’re in a business where device manufacturers make electric meters, gas meters and water meters. Those things wear out and they have to be replaced, and you also add new technology into the equation.

GSA: You’ve done work in not just South Carolina, what’s the competition like for what you do?

Cale: Our company has done business in 42 states thus far. There is a bit of barrier to entry. That’s a good thing or us and perhaps not for everybody else. There are a few small companies here and there who handle business locally but do not have a national footprint. I think we are positioned as a strong No. 3, perhaps No. 2, nationally. Honeywell (International Inc.), for example, has a deployment business among other things.

The Lowcountry Food Bank accepted a $50,000 donation Thursday from Wal-Mart at the Paul Hulsey Community Food and Nutrition Center in North Charleston. Founded in 1983, the Lowcountry Food Bank aims to provide nutritious food from local farms and groceries to low-income families.

The funds will be used to expand the bank's Growing Food Locally program. Started in 2005, the program works to increase availability of fresh produce to emergency food providers in the Lowcountry. The check also will help the bank reach its goal of raising $3 million in donations.

Jermaine Husser, the bank's executive director, was thankful for Wal-Mart's contribution. "Wal-Mart understands the bad economy right now, and that many nonprofit organizations are really struggling. I am grateful for their commitment to us and corporate citizenship services," she said.

Wal-Mart has donated to the food bank in the past, but Thursday's was its largest contribution yet.

South Carolina State University's environmental program received a $150,000 donation from the Wal-Mart Foundation on Monday to expand the program and add more research opportunities for the students.

The Savannah River Environmental Sciences Field Station program, established in 1996, is a course-driven internship involving time in and out of the classroom to learn and apply theories in field experiments.

"We are the only field station in the country devoted to the education of environmental science for predominantly minority students," program director Denise Grant said.

Grant said the money she requested will be used during the next fiscal year to expand the courses that are taught. The donation also will be used to give the students a research experience.

Cedric Shamley, a fourth-year biology student, said he enjoys the hands-on aspect of the program and that he plans to continue studying environmental issues in graduate school.

"I feel like it's a blessing, and I feel like it will help to better the program" Shamley said of the donation.

Chris Neeley, chairman of the Wal-Mart Foundation State Giving Program, said it was an easy decision for the committee to give the money to the program.

The Wal-Mart Foundation donated $10,000 to the conservation advocacy group Upstate Forever to be used to continue and expand a Land Trust Outreach Campaign through 2009.

Rob Green, regional market manager for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said the foundation seeks opportunities to support organizations that make a direct impact on the communities Wal-Mart serves.

Green, pictured far right, presented a check to, from left, Dana Leavitt, land trust director for Upstate Forever; Lisa Wickliffe, land conservation manager for Upstate Forever; and Brad Wyche, executive director for Upstate Forever.

“We are eager to support Upstate Forever’s efforts to reach out and educate landowners in the Upstate on ways in which we can preserve vital acreage,” Green said.

Wyche said protecting sensitive lands and streams from development ultimately will make the region a more desirable place to live and boost the economy by improving the quality of life. “We are not opposed to development,” Wyche said. “It really isn’t a question of whether we will develop, but how we develop.”

Shell Suber, former political director for Senator Lindsey Graham's successful 2008 reelection campaign has joined the Greenville, SC based firm The Felkel Group as Vice President for Public Affairs and Business Development. Suber, who will be located in Columbia, SC, will oversee key advocacy and public sector business development accounts on a statewide basis as the firm continues to expand. Suber brings an understanding of the business world gained during years spent in the banking and insurance industries. Combined with his experience as a staff member for Senator Thurmond, a lobbyist and a longtime GOP activist and highly regarded political operative, Suber brings extensive contacts and experience to the firm’s clients.

Suber has volunteered his service to numerous community organizations including the Columbia Citadel Club (President, 2005), The Citadel Alumni Association (District Director, 2007), The Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce (Intergovernmental Relations Committee, 2004-2005) The Columbia Museum of Art Contemporaries Society (Vice President, 2000). Suber is a Columbia, SC native and 1989 graduate of The Citadel. He and his wife Jennifer have two children, Abby and Walt.

The Wal-Mart Foundation presented a $15,000 check Tuesday to HopeHealth to assist the organization in its community outreach efforts.

Carl Humphries, CEO of HopeHealth, said the money will be a great help to the clinic which sees many people in throughout the Pee Dee.

“We committed to expanding our health center and, through the funds that are coming to us through Wal-Mart, we want to reach out to folks in the community who need primary health care,” he said.

The gift will allow HopeHealth to continue to make progress informing the Pee Dee about its community health aspect and the pharmacy inside the new HopeHealth building on East Palmetto Street, Humphries said.

Aimee Matthews has joined the expanding staff of The Felkel Group and was recently hired to serve as a Senior Executive Assistant and assist with the firm's marketing efforts.

Matthews brings more than 10 years of experience in office administration and has supported management leaders from organizations such as the YMCA of Greenville and General Wholesale Distributors. Her expertise carries into the specialized fields of event planning, meeting logistics and public relations. Additionally, she will assist in the coordination of the firm’s marketing efforts.

A native of Greenville, SC, Aimee earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art and Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

(Greenville) The Felkel Group, a nationally recognized public affairs and business development firm, headquartered in the Upstate, is celebrating its Tenth Anniversary while expanding its staff and service offerings, all while enjoying record revenues.

“This is an exciting time for our firm,” said CEO/Founder Hollis (Chip) Felkel. “We did this the hard way, by launching in a business focused location rather than Columbia or Washington DC, but ultimately, I think it helped us develop a stronger reputation as a trusted partner who understands both the political and the business communities’ perspective on issues. Our clients and competitors see us as very effective connectors, messengers and problem-solvers for a wide range of clients dealing with a variety of issues in a sometimes volatile environment at the local, state and national level.”

Kristin Elliott has joined The Felkel Group, Inc. as the firm’s IT Director. Elliott, who specializes in technical development including data integration, systematic automation, process improvement and website design, will have primary responsibility for continued maintenance and development of the firm’s proprietary software solution for public affairs, the RAP Index™. The software is used by proactive organizations, corporations and associations around the country to gauge their stakeholders’ abilities, capabilities and opportunities to effectively engage in the public policy arena. Elliott will also handle web design for the firm’s clients.

Prior to joining TFG, Elliott worked as a Statistical Analyst for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina where she satisfied everything from executive to production level development needs. A native of Greer, Elliott graduated from the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, with a degree in Management Science emphasis in Business Information Systems.

U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney stopped in briefly to give leaders a few insights about the upcoming legislative season in Washington.

Chip Felkel, CEO of the Felkel Group, discussed South Carolina’s upcoming Republican Presidential Primary.

“The South Carolina GOP Primary has become the Super Bowl of GOP primaries,” Felkel said. “We should see a nice windfall from it. We should embrace it. ... We have an incredible opportunity to show the Upstate off.”

The panel discussion portion of the meeting drew input from Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt, Butch Kirven, chairman of the Greenville County Council and Greer Mayor Rick Danner.

The question, however, is whether conservatives unhappy with Romney will finally rally behind one of those candidates or continue to divide their support.

“As always, we’re going to play an important role,’’ said Chip Felkel, a Republican strategist in Greenville and close observer of South Carolina politics. “In this case, the role might be to confirm a Romney nomination, or it might be to draw a line in the sand. But I don’t see enough agreement among those who want to stop Romney about how to do it. If it doesn’t happen here, I’m not sure how it will happen.’’

Felkel, who is not supporting any candidate, said the conservatives he talks to like Romney’s argument that he is the most electable Republican, even though they may not be happy about the health care law Romney signed in Massachusetts and his past support of abortion rights.

“They’re getting warmer to the concept of winning, as opposed to just being right,’’ he said.

If Santorum or another Romney rival cannot win in South Carolina, some say they will be hard-pressed to compete in the next primary, in Florida on Jan. 31. That contest hinges less on rallies and more on ad campaigns in the state’s expensive media markets. “Once you get beyond South Carolina, the process becomes prohibitive, and money starts to quickly dry up,’’ said Charles Bierbauer, dean of the journalism program at the University of South Carolina.

The true effect of an open primary, said Greenville-based Republican political strategist Chip Felkel, is that the process serves to select a more-moderate candidate that will appeal to a larger base of voters — an important element, he said, as South Carolina trumpets its role as the political bellwether of the South.

“We would have never seen the growth of the Republican Party in South Carolina without an open primary,” Felkel said. “For many years, it wasn’t cool to vote in a Republican primary. It wasn’t cool to vote for Republicans. That’s all changed now.”

 Mitt Romney woke from his photo-finish win in Iowa facing two new forces that will shape the next stage of the fight for the Republican presidential nomination: the rise of a fresh social-conservative champion in Rick Santorum and the emergence of a highly motivated foe in Newt Gingrich.

Republican analysts in South Carolina say Santorum has been successful in appealing to undecided conservative voters who are not necessarily activists, but he has a long way to go in proving that he’s the right candidate to beat President Obama.

“He has certainly spent a lot of time here and I think he has a great deal of support with those in the social conservative community, which makes up a decent amount of the Republican primary,” said Republican consultant Hollis “Chip” Felkel, who last worked in the Bush-Cheney campaigns in 2000 and 2004.

“His struggle will be whether or not he can do well enough in New Hampshire to show some increased viability,” Felkel added. “I think he’s got to continue to show strength in New Hampshire. I don’t think he has to necessarily win New Hampshire — he’s not expected to — but he’s got to finish strong.”

Santorum lacks the kind of sophisticated infrastructure and resources his rivals enjoy in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/can-rick-santorum-maintain-his-momentum/

But a lackluster performance in early debates -- including his "oops" moment, in which he forgot the name of one of three agencies he wants to eliminate -- contributed to a prolonged slide in the polls.

Perry recovered in later debates and seemed to regain his political footing in a 44-city bus tour, in which he delivered impassioned appeals for Iowans to get behind his candidacy.

Chip Felkel, a Republican analyst in South Carolina who is not aligned with a campaign, said Perry has "dug a pretty deep hole for himself" there because of his "considerable missteps" and would have trouble recovering regardless of his performance in Iowa.

Analysts said Perry may have been hurt by his early status as front-runner, making him a target for attacks from his rivals that contributed to his slide. Perry also failed to attract a coveted endorsement from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who threw her support to Romney.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/04/3631752/anything-less-than-third-place.html#storylink=cpy

 “He could be on a roll before he gets down here,” Florida Republican strategist Frank Torres said, referring to the Sunshine State’s Jan. 31 primary. “He’s got a full ground operation here and is ready to rock and roll. Florida could be the nail in the coffin for Mitt Romney to get the nomination.”

After next week’s New Hampshire primary, the race shifts to the Jan. 21 primary in South Carolina, a conservative stronghold where Romney has picked up support from Gov. Nikki Haley. Haley will be in the Granite State stumping for Romney this weekend.

“There are a lot of people (in South Carolina) who want to see Barack Obama defeated, and those people see Mitt Romney as a business guy, and that’s a plus,” said South Carolina political strategist Hollis “Chip” Felkel. “Given the downfall of the other candidates, I think he’s in pretty good shape here.”

Romney, who launched an ad blitz in Florida yesterday, will be in New Hampshire today before hitting South Carolina tomorrow and Friday before returning to the Granite State this weekend

But experts said it might be beyond difficult to re-start his campaign in South Carolina despite the affinity some voters may have for a Texas governor proudly playing the religion card.

Dennis Goldford, professor of politics at Drake University in Des Moines, said an Iowa performance in the bottom tier amounted to confirmation of “what everybody has thought since those early debate performances – he simply was not ready for a national stage.”

“If he still has money, he can try to make South Carolina his Alamo and hope it has a better outcome than the original one did,” Goldford said.

Longtime GOP consultant Chip Felkel of Greenville, S.C., said South Carolina “should have been ready-made for Rick Perry” as a “Southern conservative, no-nonsense, shoot from the hip” candidate.

“But his slip ups in the debates have cost him dearly. He’s got some very notable individuals who signed on early when he was at his peak, but you don’t see a lot of visibility out of his folks right now, and you certainly don’t get a sense of a whole lot of enthusiasm on their part with regard to that candidacy,” Felkel said.

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said by email it’s difficult to re-start a campaign in South Carolina: “The Palmetto State tends to look first to the top finalists from Iowa and New Hampshire. They take pride in having picked the eventual GOP nominee since Reagan. A poor showing in Iowa and a skip in New Hampshire is not the strongest way to enter contention in South Carolina.” 

If the voter provides his email address or cell number, he could get a reminder to vote on election day. One goal is to track voter turnout in real time, as surveyed people report their actions.

Essentially, backers hope it's a way to funnel tea party energies while micro-targeting the voters the movement needs to alter elections. Increasingly, that's the route to effective advocacy, said Chip Felkel, an unaffiliated Republican strategist who knows about the product and whose firm helps organizations micro-target their most effective employees or members.

The hand-held part is newer, Felkel said, adding that the coming elections will tell how well the mobile tool works. It's a sign, he said, that the tea party is getting "serious" and moving past rhetoric alone.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/01/01/3630422/tea-party-activists-using-mobile.html#storylink=cpy

Wins in those states could set the stage for Romney to close the deal on the GOP nomination in the Palmetto State, shortening what had been expected to be a long, expensive nominating process, some of the pundits say.

“(Romney winning) is probable in Iowa right now. He is seen as a favorite son in New Hampshire,” said Chip Felkel of Greenville, a political consultant who is not working for any of the GOP candidates. “He’s stayed at the top or near the top here in South Carolina. Unless someone can make a case -- and tar and feather him, and make him unacceptable -- while offering an acceptable alternative, I think he may have it.”

Romney’s opponents are creating a path to victory for him, said Chris Drummond, a 2008 consultant to U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who won South Carolina’s GOP primary.

Read more here: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/12/30/2574714/is-mitt-romney-the-inevitable.html#storylink=cpy