SC leaders travel to meet with Rudy

State GOP leaders traveled in March to New York to meet with potential presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, according to The State:

The trip was part of the South Carolinians’ search for a consensus presidential candidate for 2008. It was primarily an information-seeking conference for both sides, participants said.

“There were a lot of questions. A lot of interests,” said Warren Tompkins, a Columbia-based political consultant with close ties to the White House. “We talked process, and gave the mayor and his staff the names of people to contact.”

That meeting was followed up by another a week later, attended by former state GOP chairman Barry Wynn of Spartanburg, insurance executive Gayle Averyt and Dr. Eddie Floyd, a Florence surgeon. Wynn and Floyd were state finance co-chairmen of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns.

Vilsack makes it to SC

Potential presidential candidate and Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack made his first foray into the Palmetto State over the weekend as the keynote speaker at the state Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson fund-raising dinner. According to The Post and Courier:

Speaking at the annual state Democratic Party fundraiser, Vilsack criticized Republican Gov. Mark Sanford's lack of leadership and the "incompetent" Bush administration. He said South Carolina needs an "education governor" and a "jobs governor." To get that, "you need a new governor in this state," the Democrat said.