A Dem fighter wins council seat in SC in spite of dirty GOP tricks.

[madfloridian]

It is so nice to read a story when the attack methods of the Republicans just simply did not work. Kudos to Colleen.


Colleen for Charleston County Council


They Defeat the Republican Party Machine in South Carolina

Colleen Condon's Campaign Shows Its Spine
They Defeat the Republican Party Machine in South Carolina

"DFA-List candidate Colleen Condon scored a huge victory Tuesday, July 19th.

This was Condon's second special election race for county council in Charleston, SC. The results from Colleen's January 11th special election were thrown out because almost 200 voters in Plantation Apartments were disenfranchised. These voters would have made the difference considering Colleen came up just 18 votes short in the January 11th results.

Colleen received the DFA-List endorsement back in May when her campaign was busy building a grassroots-powered field plan for her July 19th election. With the endorsement came many small financial contributions from DFA members across the country, and invaluable volunteer time and effort from DFA-Charleston and DFA-Columbia members.

"....the Republican Party jammed voters' mail boxes and flooded their phone lines with negative messages about Colleen, trying to scare citizens into believing that "Howard Dean was trying to pick your next County Council member". The attacks reached a new low when the Charleston County Republican Party sent out a mailing claiming "Colleen Condon & Howard Dean are Too Extreme for Charleston County". The mailing not only attacked Colleen and Governor Dean, but it even targeted Condon's campaign manager Kevin Puleo—abeling him as a "national DFA spin doctor", despite the fact that he had never managed a political campaign before.

Colleen stood her ground, and when the Post & Courier asked about her DFA-List endorsement, she made it clear that she was "proud to receive DFA's endorsement, because they support grassroots campaigns and candidates that are fiscally responsible." During the last week, the South Carolina GOP sent out several e-mails to their supporters throughout the state encouraging them to travel to Charleston to counter the "radical liberal Deaniacs who would be screaming their way to Charleston" the weekend before the election. Clearly, the Republicans were concerned.

On Election Day, Colleen's campaign orchestrated one of the largest volunteer efforts ever seen in a South Carolina County Council election. They staffed every polling place with a lawyer and a checker, and had over thirty people making calls to voters in addition to 22 people out knocking on doors to deliver reminders. Sensing the looming defeat, the desperate Republicans attempted to challenge every voter who lived at Plantation Apartments, the same people who were disenfranchised in the January 11 special election. Tempers flared at the polling place as the Republican lawyers filed their baseless challenges in an attempt to intimidate voters. Refusing to be bullied, Condon's team of poll watchers fiercely protested the challenges and when the dust settled, a Republican lawyer was thrown out of the polling place for disrupting the democratic process......"

"The final numbers: Condon 2,409 - Douan 2,070."

Read the rest of this great story Here at the link

[SharonAnn]

1. Wow! Thanks for the great news. And it shows that good organization

and planning works.

That's the battle in some of our groups. We need to do methodical organizing and planning. Then "implement like hell"!

[annabanana]

2. Well, Hooray for the DFA and for Colleen!!

More and more please.. If they can do it in SC, they can do it all over!

[China_cat]

5. It would be nicer if the Condons weren't DINOs

[loudsue]

3. What a totally KEWL story!!!

Go DFA!!!!

:kick::kick::kick:

[brentspeak]

4. Great news!

I hope someone got the names of the Republican disruptors at the polling places. Publish their names online, establish a rogue's gallery of Republican thugs.

[Cha]

6. WOW! She's some Gal!

Congratulations to Colleen Condon! :toast:

What an amazing story, thank you, madfloridian! :)

This story should be carried far and wide as an example of what can happen, even in South Carolina!

[madfloridian]

7. They fought for voters who were disenfranchised in January. Powerful.

I love this part.

"On Election Day, Colleen's campaign orchestrated one of the largest volunteer efforts ever seen in a South Carolina County Council election. They staffed every polling place with a lawyer and a checker, and had over thirty people making calls to voters in addition to 22 people out knocking on doors to deliver reminders. Sensing the looming defeat, the desperate Republicans attempted to challenge every voter who lived at Plantation Apartments, the same people who were disenfranchised in the January 11 special election. Tempers flared at the polling place as the Republican lawyers filed their baseless challenges in an attempt to intimidate voters. Refusing to be bullied, Condon's team of poll watchers fiercely protested the challenges and when the dust settled, a Republican lawyer was thrown out of the polling place for disrupting the democratic process."

This is what it is going to take to win sometimes. I am very proud of her and her campaign.

[Southsideirish]

8. "Dirty Tricks" and republicants....was it ever thus?

[bluestateguy]

9. Now there is a lady who knows how to play hardball

:)

[EC]

10. Okay, this is really serious if they go this hard at a County Councial

seat. This means the 2006 and 2008 seasons are going to be all out and nasty...and expensive...

[madfloridian]

11. Yes, you are very right. It is not going to be pretty.

I know our area will be ugly for sure. It is the attack frame of mind they have....out for blood.

[madfloridian]

12. Results are being challenged but won't matter. Good write-up.

http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/0705/244910.html

Charleston, SC - "The fate of the vacant Charleston County Council seat is no longer up for grabs. District 7 voters went back to the polls..

voting in favor of Colleen Condon over Joey Douan..but, Douan says we haven't seen the last of him.He didn't tell us his exact plans..but, he certainly alluded to another challenge or further legal battles..

it's what has kept this seat vacant since january."339 vote difference is the official vote total and let's keep in mind Mr.
Douan challenged folks at Plantation Oaks so their votes aren't even counted woo hoo!" Condon says.Condon may be celebrating now..
but, she says after 6 months of uncertainty..she wants to get down to business."I'm ready to get to work Wednesday working on council issues," Condon says. Her opponent closely watched the tallying..

There are only 63 challenge votes, so even if they're all for Douan..
it won't change the outcome. The results will be certified at 10 a.m. on Friday."

[wli]

13. now we need to do this on a national scale in 2006