Democrat Who Won His Primary Almost Schemed His Way Off the Ballot

An attempt by South Carolina Democrat James Smith to get his name listed on the ballot as the gubernatorial candidate for more than one party has opened the door to him being removed from the ballot entirely.

Smith, a Democratic state legislator who won his party's primary handily in June, hoped to boost his chances of unseating incumbent Republican governor Henry McMaster by securing the nominations for the Green, Working Families, and Libertarian parties.

South Carolina law allows a candidate's name to appear on the ballot numerous times, with the votes obtained in each different slot going toward the same total. Smith jumped at the opportunity because none of the three parties had anybody else running for the nomination.

But South Carolina also has what's known as a "sore loser" law, which could now unravel Smith's chances in November.

The state's sore loser statute says that "no person who was defeated as a candidate for nomination to an office in a party primary or party convention shall have his name placed on the ballot for the ensuing general or special election."

Smith, having realized he opened the door to disaster, moved to withdraw his candidacy in the parties, but the Libertarian Party went ahead and voted against having him as their nominee and made clear it's willing to press the issue of whether Smith should be decertified with the state's Election Commission...