On January 6, 2003, Rep. Gephardt filed papers with the FEC establishing Gephardt for President Exploratory Committee. The campaign opened its headquarters in a downtown Washington, DC office building in the first part of February 2003. Gephardt formally announced his campaign on February 19, 2003 in St. Louis, MO. Steve Murphy is the national campaign manager.
Gephardt for President, Inc. South Carolina Leadership
| State Director | Isaac Williams |
| Press Secretary | Elizabeth Alexander |
South Carolina Names from
Third Quarter FEC Report Include (Alpha): Joiquim Barnes, Caitlin A.
Bailey, Herbert U. Fielding, Edward Francis, Connie Green, Lauryn A. Hall,
Courtney Hunter, Ruth S. Smith
May 3, 2003-Opening of South
Carolina Headquarters. (more)
Endorsements
U.S. Rep. Jim
Clyburn (SC-6) 12/10/03
U.S. Rep. John
Spratt (SC-5) 01/03
-South Carolina State Treasurer Grady Patterson 11/17/03
-Senator Ralph
Anderson - Dist. No. 7, Greenville (Greenville Co.) ...retired
postmaster. 03/06/03
-Senator Kay
Patterson, District 19, Columbia (Richland Co.) ...retired
educator. 12/11/03
-Representative Joe
E. Brown, District 73, Columbia (Richland Co.) ...retired public school
administrator, former Chairman of SC Legislative Black Caucus 03/06/03,
reannounced 12/11/03
-Representative Leon
Howard, District 76, Columbia (Richland Co.) ...president of
Howard's Garage/Paint & Body Shop/Wrecker Service 12/11/03
-Representative Walton
J. McLeod, District 40 - Little Mountain (Newberry Co.)
...businessman/attorney 12/11/03
-Representative Brenda
Lee, District 31, Spartanburg (Spartanburg Co.) ...businesswoman
12/13-14/03
formerly Dean
-Representative J.
David Weeks, District 51, Sumter (Sumter Co.) ...attorney 12/13-14/03
Katherine Bellfield, Community Activist, Columbia (Eau Claire Community) 12/11/03
James Lander, former Comptroller General and former State Senator, Newberry (Newberry County) 12/11/03
former U.S. Rep. Butler Derrick - represented SC's 3rd district from 1975-95.
Mayor LaRue Alford - Lake City 03/06/03
Mayor James Waller - Calhoun Falls 03/06/03
Tom Smith - Florence County Council, former State Senator 03/06/03
Mary Demetrious - former State Party Vice Chair, former DNC Member, former Chair of Darlington Co. Dem Party 03/06/03
Herb Fielding - former State Senator and one of the first African-American legislators elected to House since Reconstruction 03/06/03
Brent Weaver - State Party Treasurer 03/06/03
Reverend Caesar Richburg,
Allen Temple AME Church, Greenville
12/03
...and
14 more mayors--see list below
On March 6, 2003, Gephardt for President announced 8 endorsements:
| Senator Ralph
Anderson - Dist. No. 7, Greenville Co.
Representative Joe Brown - Dist. No. 73, Richland Co. Mayor LaRue Alford - Lake City Mayor James Waller - Calhoun Falls Tom Smith - Florence County Council, former State Senator Mary Demetrious - former State Party Vice Chair, former DNC Member, former Chair of Darlington Co. Dem Party Herb Fielding - former State Senator and one of the first African-American legislators elected to House since Reconstruction Brent Weaver - State Party Treasurer |
On February 19, 2003, Gephardt for President announced endorsements of 14 individual mayors, thereby effectively securing the endorsement of the South Carolina Conference of Black Mayors:
| Chris Campbell, Mayor of
Eastover, president of the SC Conf. of Black Mayors
David Kenner, Mayor of Blackville Janie Goree, Mayor of Carlisle Wanda Stringfellow, Mayor of Chester John Carter, Mayor of Gray Court Lavania Wright, Mayor of Sellers Willie Jefferson, Mayor of Mayesville Terry Wright, Mayor of Brunson William Alston, Mayor of Awendaw Samuel Murray, Mayor of Port Royal Thomas Owens, Mayor of Estill Sylvia Shinger, Mayor of Vance Tyrone Aiken, Mayor of Lincolnville Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Manning |
Note
Gephardt's Effective Government Committee contributed
$26,000 to 26 mayoral candidates in the closing weeks of the Nov. 2002
election campaign. >>