Vet’s upset win in SC primary scrutinized

Vet’s upset win in SC primary scrutinized

House majority whip questions background, wonders ‘where did he come from’
By Meg Kinnard - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 10, 2010 15:02:19 EDT

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 3 Democrat in the U.S. House called on federal authorities Thursday to investigate how an unemployed South Carolina military veteran won the state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

“Here is Alvin Greene, unemployed, he goes into the Democratic headquarters and pays $10,000. That’s no little bit of money for an unemployed person,” House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said. “This guy, who is he? Where did he come from?”

Greene, 32, stunned the Democratic Party establishment Tuesday night when he handily defeated Vic Rawl, a four-term state lawmaker and former judge, for the party’s nomination. Rawl, who had campaigned little but already raised $186,000, was forced to scrap a fundraiser planned for Thursday night.

Greene has not reported any fundraising, run any ads, or put up signs or a website in his challenge of Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. He had been considered such a long shot that neither his opponent nor the media bothered to check his background, which includes a November arrest on a charge of felony obscenity.
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Vet’s upset win in SC primary scrutinized