Tommy Moore

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For other uses, see: Tommy Moore (disambiguation).

Tommy Moore of Clearwater was the Democratic Party's Nominee for Governor of South Carolina in 2006. In the state's 2006 gubernatorial election, Senator Moore faced off against incumbent Republican Governor Mark Sanford, who was seeking a second term in office. Sanford defeated Moore 55% to 45%.

1 Early life and career
2 Senate career
3 Campaign 2006
4 Polling
5 See also
6 External link

[edit] Early life and career

Thomas L. Moore was born on May 9, 1950 in Lynwood, Aiken County, South Carolina. In 1968, Moore graduated from Langley-Bath-Clearwater (L.B.C.) High School, where he played varsity football, and later, earned his undergraduate degree from USC Aiken. In 1971, he married his high school sweetheart, Dale. The Moores have two sons — Baylen and Brent — and two grandsons, Rhett and Luke.

In 1978, Tommy Moore was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives as a Democrat. That same November, he started his own successful business, Boiler Efficiency Inc., in Clearwater, a company that caters to the steam energy needs of small and medium-sized businesses. In 1980, after serving only a single term in the House, Moore was elected to the South Carolina Senate, and has been re-elected continuously ever since.

[edit] Senate career

Representing Aiken, Edgefield, Saluda and McCormick counties, Moore has attempted to take a leadership role on a number of issues throughout his years in the Senate, including: public education, government restructuring, the lottery and higher education scholarships, public utilities, government ethics and accountability, homeland security, campaign finance reform, and environmental legislation.

Senator Moore’s most recent assignments include the Judiciary; Labor, Commerce, and Industry; Ethics; Rules; Medical Affairs; and Fish, Game, and Forestry committees.

In addition, Moore currently serves as the Chairman of the State Regulation of Public Utilities Review Committee, a joint legislative and citizens committee that (1) nominates candidates for each seat on the Public Service Commission and the Executive Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff; and (2) conducts annual performance reviews of such agencies and officials to ensure that the best interests of the citizens of South Carolina are being served. He previously served as chairman of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee and the Joint Legislative Committee on Children and Families.

In 1994, Senator Moore ran for Congressman Butler Derrick's newly vacated seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, but never made it out of the Democratic primary. Like many House races that year, South Carolina's Third Congressional District was eventually won in the general election by a Republican, future U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. Interestingly enough, 1994 was the same year that Mark Sanford began his political career in the U.S. House, representing South Carolina's First Congressional District.

[edit] Campaign 2006

Senator Moore won his party's gubernatorial primary with a solid 64% of the vote on June 13, 2006. He defeated both Florence Mayor Frank Willis, who ran to the political left of Moore, and Columbia Attorney C. Dennis Aughtry, who simply advocated the legalization of casino boat gambling as a way to finance public education.

Senator Moore has a reputation in South Carolina political circles for being a pro-business, right-of-center Democrat, who is very conservative on social issues (abortion and gay rights), but quite moderate on fiscal and economic matters (taxes and public education).

These positions put the Aiken senator squarely at odds with the libertarian Mark Sanford, who pays little heed to the Religious Right and openly pushes for privatization in regards to many policy issues.

Senator Moore was endorsed by prominent Democrats like Richard Riley and Jim Hodges, both of whom served as Governor of South Carolina. Surprisingly, though, Moore was endorsed by very influential Republicans, such as Senators Jake Knotts and Verne Smith, who seemed to represent the GOP's growing sense of dissatisfaction with Governor Sanford.

Ultimately, Tommy Moore lost the election 55% to 45%.

[edit] Polling

Source	Date	Moore (D)	Sanford (R)
Clemson University	October 30, 2006	31%	58%
Rasmussen	October 25, 2006	34%	57%
Survey USA	October 17, 2006	41%	56%
Survey USA	September 28, 2006	46%	50%
Survey USA	September 20, 2006	41%	54%
Rasmussen	September 10, 2006	38%	51%
Rasmussen	August 4, 2006	38%	47%
Rasmussen	June 23, 2006	39%	51%
Rasmussen	May 10, 2006	33%	52%
Rasmussen	February 17, 2006	36%	49%