TIGERVILLE, S.C. | One of the year’s most expensive election campaigns has been to save a Republican congressional seat — in a year when the GOP is expected to see huge gains in the House.
Republican Rep. Joe Wilson and challenger Rob Miller have raised $7.44 million combined in South Carolina’s generally Republican 2nd Congressional District that stretches from south of Columbia to coastal Hilton Head.
Only two races — one involving Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann and the other Democratic Florida Rep. Ron Klein — have cost more than the Wilson-Miller race, which had been number one until about two weeks ago.
Unions like the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union have dumped thousands of dollars into Miller’s campaign, despite that South Carolina is a union-free state. House Democratic leaders like Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland have also chipped in, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus.
Corporations like AFLAC, Verizon, AT&T, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and UPS have supported Wilson, as well as prominent Republicans like Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Wilson’s “You lie” outburst during President Obama’s address to both houses of Congress during the health care debate last September immediately put the seat in play for Democrats who have sought to portray Wilson as out of touch with constituents, even though the health care bill is unpopular among Republican voters.
Those two words thrust Wilson from obscurity into the national spotlight and illustrated how bitter the health care debate was. Wilson apologized promptly.
Wilson has countered Miller with a clever campaign slogan — “Joe means jobs” — which he hopes will replace memories of “You lie.”
“Congressman Wilson has a slogan, not a solution to create jobs in the 2nd District,” Miller said in a televised debate last Sunday.
Both candidates have military backgrounds. Wilson was a 31-year member of the South Carolina Army National Guard and brags about how his four sons have served in the U.S. military. Miller served in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the U.S. Marines and calls himself a military leader on his Web site.
Wilson appears safe to keep his seat. The latest poll, from jut over two weeks ago, shows him with a seven percentage point lead over Miller. Wilson spent the last day before the election campaigning with South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley and state Attorney General Henry McMaster.
The Republican has been criticized by his opponent for taking over 40 trips to the Middle East costing over $100,000. Wilson, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, says it was to support the troops.