Republicans Rally for Elizabeth Colbert Busch

Elizabeth Colbert Busch would have a tough time winning the First Congressional District seat without some Republican support. After all, 58 percent of the district's voters supported Mitt Romney in the 2012 election, so the announcement of Republicans for Elizabeth Colbert Busch is a welcome development for the campaign.

Colbert Busch announced the formation of the group flanked by several of her GOP supporters Wednesday at her West Ashley Campaign office. Chairing the group is Leslie Turner, a 2012 Romney voter.

Turner said when former Gov. Mark Sanford emerged as the Republican candidate in the First District race she had no choice but to pick Colbert Busch as the best candidate for the job.

"I want our country to pay our debts, stop spending more than we have, get our finances in order, basically get this country back on track, and there's one person in this race who can do just that," Turner said. "She can tackle the issues and go to Washington and be someone that we can be proud of, and that's Elizabeth Colbert Busch."

Turner was one of about a half-dozen Republicans in attendance for the announcement at Colbert Busch's campaign office. But that number belies how much support Colbert Busch is receiving from traditional GOP voters Turner said.

"Among kitchen table talks with all my Republican women friends, they all seem to be supporting Elizabeth," Turner said.

Recent polls have shown as many as one in five Republican voters in the First District leaning toward Colbert Busch.

Glenda Miller, a self-described life-long Republican, also spoke out for Colbert Busch, and said she'll be telling all of her Republican friends to vote for the Democratic candidate in this election as well.

"Elizabeth is a Democrat but I want to assure my Republican friends that should not stop them from voting for her," Miller said. "She's a tough independent business woman who has spent her whole career creating jobs and balancing budgets. Her business experience is the core of who she is, and I know that she, unlike her opponent will represent us in Washington."

Miller said she initially voted for John Kuhn in the primary election and supported Curtis Bostic in the run-off. She didn't make up her mind to support Colbert Busch until she saw Sanford's full-page ad in response to revelations that he was charged with trespassing at his ex-wife's house in February that ran in Sunday's Post and Courier.

"It indicated that he's not ever responsible, there's always someone else to blame," Miller said. "I believe when you make a mistake you should take responsibility, blaming breaking the law on your 13-year-old son because he wanted to watch the Superbowl is just unacceptable."

Miller and Turner spoke about ignoring party labels and selecting a candidate based on that person's track record.

"We can't afford to send Mark Sanford back to Washington, cause we simply don't trust him," Turner said. "If we do, Mark and South Carolina will continue to be the punchline of every joke on late-night TV, on the political talk shows and in online media. He'll continue to be ineffective and will not help our state."

Miller cannot forget that Sanford disappeared for a week while he was governor without letting anyone in the state know he was gone or how to get in touch with him if an emergency arose.

"If I took money from my employer and then went out of town for a week, I'm sure I would loose my job," Miller said. "I also would not be eligible to be rehired. Mark Sanford took our tax dollars and abandoned his position as Governor of South Carolina. I don't think he should be rehired as a public servant. He is not the kind of person I think should represent us in Congress."