Bill Bledsoe
Bill Bledsoe | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Constitution[1] Republican |
| Other political affiliations | Libertarian[1] |
| Residence | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States |
| Profession | Veterinarian[2][3] |
Dr. Bill Bledsoe is an American politician and veterinarian from Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is known for his participation in the 2020 United States Senate election where he ran as the Constitution Party's candidate.[1]
A perennial candidate, Bledsoe also participated in the 2016 United States Senate election in South Carolina as a fusion candidate under both the Libertarian and Constitution parties.[4]
In South Carolina's 5th congressional district special election of 2017, Bledsoe filed as a Libertarian but was eliminated at the convention, losing to nominee Victor Kocher.[5][6]
2016 U.S. Senate election
In 2016, Bledsoe ran as a fusion candidate of both the Constitution and Libertarian parties. He hosted numerous gun rallies at courthouses around the state, carrying a Revolutionary War-era rifle to draw attention to gun control laws.[3][7][8] He received 24,830 and 12,652 votes under the Libertarian and Constitution tickets respectively, aggregating to a total of 37,482 (1.83%).[9]
2020 U.S. Senate election
In 2020, Bledsoe was the Constitution Party's nominee for senator from South Carolina.[10] On his participation, he stated that he entered the race with no name recognition or funding[11] but was appalled to have been endorsed by the Lincoln Project[12] and discredited by Democratic candidate Jaime Harrison.[13] Despite having dropped out of the race on October 1, 2020, he was still on the ballot due to South Carolinian law; incidentally, as the state's candidates are listed on the ballot alphabetically, his name was at the top.[14]
Bledsoe's fringe candidacy was elevated after Harrison began creating advertisements directed towards him in an attempt to siphon votes off of Lindsey Graham. The advertisements highlighted key aspects of Bledsoe's platform that would directly appeal to conservative voters, thus intended to split the vote.[14][15][16][17][18] Bledsoe was criticized for hosting gun rallies during the 2016 Senate election, for his unwavering support of then-president Donald Trump, and his staunch opposition to abortion, deeming him "too conservative for South Carolina."[17][19][20][21] Similarly, he was also the target of an online advertisement funded by the South Carolina Democratic Party[22] and numerous mailings created by the political action committee Lindsey Must Go.[17] Contrary to this, in the Lincoln Project's endorsement, Bledsoe was praised for being "pro-gun," "pro-God," and the "only true conservative on the ballot,"[12][21] yet this was only to aid Harrison's efforts; the advertisement subsequently attacked Graham for supposedly betraying South Carolinian conservatives.
Bledsoe retaliated, naming both the Lincoln Project and Harrison's campaigns as "dirty tricks."[23] He would then endorse Graham, with Graham showing appreciation for his support;[3] he announced that he would be voting for Graham rather than himself and Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election.[24][25] In addition, Ralph Norman of South Carolina's 5th congressional district denounced Harrison's campaign strategy on his website.[26]
Incumbent Lindsey Graham would go on to win the election with 1,369,137 votes (54.44%). Bledsoe received 32,845 votes (1.30%).[27]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lindsey Graham (incumbent) | 1,369,137 | 54.44% | +0.17% | |
| Democratic | Jaime Harrison | 1,110,828 | 44.17% | +5.39% | |
| Constitution | Bill Bledsoe | 32,845 | 1.30% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 2,294 | 0.09% | -0.29% | ||
| Total votes | 2,515,104 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Scott (incumbent) | 1,241,609 | 60.57% | -0.55% | |
| Democratic | Thomas Dixon | 757,022 | 36.93% | -0.16% | |
| Libertarian | Bill Bledsoe | 37,482[lower-alpha 1] | 1.83% | N/A | |
| American | Michael Scarborough | 11,923 | 0.58% | -1.17% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 1,857 | 0.09% | +0.05% | |
| Total votes | 2,049,893 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Recent activities
On the theoretical nomination of Nikki Haley for the Republican Party in 2024, Bledsoe wrote that "Neither of Haley’s parents was a citizen of the United States when she was born," and "So she can never hold the office of president or the office of vice president in the United States."[28] These remarks were accused of being a conspiracy theory by FITSNews in an article released by Will Folks on April 28, 2021.[29]
On February 21, 2021, Bledsoe announced that he was changing his party affiliation to the Republican Party at the federal level, once more making him a fusion candidate under the Republican and Constitution parties.[28] He plans to run in a future senatorial race under the Republican ticket, replacing incumbent Graham and believing that his victory "will allow conservatives to regain the Senate."[30][better source needed]
See also
- Political party strength in South Carolina
- South Carolina Republican Party
- Libertarian Party of South Carolina
- South Carolina Green Party
- 2010 United States Senate election in South Carolina
- 2020 United States Senate election in Arkansas
- Green Party of Montana § 2020 election
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Bill Bledsoe". Ballotpedia.
- ↑ "Dr Bledsoe's Animal Medical Center is Spartanburg, SC". www.amcupstate.com.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Third-party candidate backs Graham in tightening SC race". AP NEWS. October 1, 2020.
- ↑ "Candidate Listing - 11/8/2016 Statewide General Election". info.scvotes.sc.gov.
- ↑ "Twelve Candidates File for South Carolina Special U.S. House Election | Ballot Access News".
- ↑ "Candidate Listing - 6/20/2017 US House of Rep Dist 5 Special Election". info.scvotes.sc.gov.
- ↑ "Senate candidate holds long gun rally in Greenville". August 6, 2016.
- ↑ "US Senate Candidate A Voice In The Wilderness".
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "2016 Statewide General Election official results". South Carolina State Election Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Candidate Listing - 11/3/2020 Statewide General Election". info.scvotes.sc.gov.
- ↑ Nam, Thomas Lanahan, Sooji (November 3, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Bill Bledsoe reacts to efforts in SC U.S. Senate race". WACH.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Bledsoe - The Lincoln Project". lincolnproject.us.
- ↑ Nam, Sooji (October 28, 2020). "Dr. Bill Bledsoe says latest political ads using his name are "fraud"". WACH.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Democratic challenger to Lindsey Graham pushing right-wing voters towards more conservative candidate". The Independent. October 14, 2020.
- ↑ Lovegrove, Jamie. "Harrison elevates third-party candidate in bid to pull GOP SC Senate votes from Graham". Post and Courier.
- ↑ "Graham challenger pushing conservatives toward 3rd candidate". AP NEWS. April 28, 2021.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Democrats Get Creative In Last-Ditch Bid To Salvage Jaime Harrison's South Carolina Candidacy".
- ↑ "GOP ground game, Supreme Court shift: How SC's Graham had another US Senate victory". The State. November 8, 2020.
In the closing weeks of the campaign, Harrison’s campaign promoted Constitution Party nominee Bill Bledsoe to siphon conservative votes off of Graham.
- ↑ "Democratic Senate Candidate Runs Attack Ad Against Constitution Party Candidate". independentpoliticalreport.com/.
- ↑ Nam, Sooji (October 21, 2020). "Recent Harrison campaign ad attacks third party candidate". WACH.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Brodey, Sam. "This Is How Jamie Harrison Pulls Off A Miracle and Ousts Lindsey Graham". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
In an eleventh-hour media blitz, Harrison’s campaign is elevating Bledsoe in ads by attacking him as too conservative—but in doing so, the would-be attack ad offers up right-wing voters a laundry list of things to like about him, namely his unwavering support of Trump. And the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump PAC, ran ads calling Bledsoe “the real deal” for South Carolina.
- ↑ "Bill Bledsoe, Too Conservative". SCVoterGuide.com.
- ↑ Arkin, James. "'Dirty tricks': Third-party candidate in heated South Carolina Senate race denounces Dem ads". POLITICO.
- ↑ Axelrod, Tal (October 1, 2020). "Third-party candidate in SC senate race drops out, throws support behind Graham". TheHill.
I will be voting for President Donald Trump and Senator Lindsey Graham on November 3rd, and I urge every freedom-loving South Carolinian to do the same.
- ↑ "South Carolina United States Senate Race - Oct 20 2020, Dr Bill Bledsoe" – via www.youtube.com.
- ↑ "Too Conservative?!". October 24, 2020.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 "2020 Statewide General Election Night Reporting - U.S. Senate". South Carolina Election Commission. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Bledsoe, Bill (April 10, 2021). "Former Governor Nikki Haley Not Eligible to Run for President or Vice President".
- ↑ Folks, Will. "Conspiracy Theories: Nikki Haley Is Not Eligible To Run For President?".
- ↑ Reed, Michael. "Senatorial Candidate Changing Party Affiliation". The Standard.
Notes
- ↑ 24,830 and 12,652 votes under the Libertarian and Constitution tickets respectively.
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