While Liberal Politician James Smith has failed to clear the field for the Democrat nomination in South Carolina’s 2018 gubernatorial race, his primary opponent, Phil Noble, shows no signs of letting up his attacks. When asked about why voters should choose him over Smith in a recent interview with WCIV-TV, Noble attacked Smith, calling him “more of the same” and accusing him of “sitting idly by” and having “done nothing” during his time in the State Legislature:
Watch below:
This isn’t the first time Noble has attacked Smith as a political insider. Earlier this month he labelled Smith as “part of the system for the past 20 years” and called him out for not having “tackled or changed or challenged the system in the most fundamental areas.” Noble is clearly committed to framing the Democrat primary as a choice between a noted insider like Smith or an outsider like himself, setting the stage for a polarizing nomination fight between the two.
South Carolina political scientists have warned that Democrats need to be “completely united” with “no bad blood” to win in 2018. But instead of clearing the field and bringing Democrats together to support his candidacy, Smith is facing increasing attacks from Noble, whose primary challenge threatens to divide the party and weaken its chances of victory. With six months to go until their June primary, South Carolina Democrats continue to face growing challenges to unify their party.