By Andrew Shain Watch her campaign ads and listen to her stump speeches. In her re-election bid, Gov. Nikki Haley wants S.C. voters to credit her economic policies with pulling South Carolina out of the recession. But some of the data the Lexington Republican cites is misleading and some of her claims are outdated, an analysis by The State newspaper found. Haley has worked to create a business-friendly environment, announcing almost 57,000 of jobs while the state's jobless rate has dropped. The S.C. Chamber of Commerce has been so pleased that it reversed itself this year, endorsing Haley after backing her Democratic opponent, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden, in 2010. But not everyone is buying Haley's role as key to making South Carolina's economy rosier. "This is more politics than anything else," said Joe Taylor, a Columbia-area businessman who was Commerce Department secretary under Republican Gov. Mark Sanford from 2006-11. "People are aware the nation as a whole is coming out of a recession." Some of Haley's economic claims and numbers are inflated, The State newspaper found in an analysis of jobs announcements and federal data: * While political scientists say most voters think the 57,000 jobs that Haley mentions in speeches have been filled, only a little more than half of the jobs announced in 2011 and 2012 exist, according to a survey by the newspaper of major economic development announcements made during Haley's first two years in office. * Haley's 57,000 announced-job figure also includes businesses that never opened, or opened and then closed, based on a list provided by the S.C. Department of Commerce this summer. Her tally also includes 4,350 jobs -- nearly 8 percent of the total -- for stores planned by Wal-Mart. Low-paying retail jobs typically are not part of economic development tallies. * And contrary to a Haley claim, South Carolina has not had the East Coast's fastest-growing economy since 2011, according to revised federal data. "I don't think lying is OK for the governor," said Sheheen. After inquiries by The State, the Commerce Department removed three projects that never opened from its new-jobs list. Also, Haley said she will use a new accolade in her stump speech that the state recently received from a trade magazine, instead of the outdated, fastest-growing economy statistic. Still, Haley defends the numbers she has used, saying they help promote the state and win jobs for South Carolinians. "It amazing -- whether it's you guys (the media) or somebody else -- we've got a great story to tell, and there's going to be people who want to (talk) down our story," she said. Economists and political scientists say Haley deserves some credit for developing policies and paying attention to economic development, moves that helped South Carolina's employment rise faster than that of much of the country since Haley took office in 2011. "Good policies can certainly help economies continue to grow, but they don't guarantee it," said Wells Fargo senior economist Mark Vitner of Charlotte. "She has made it better." Haley's supporters say her experience, working in her family's clothing store, makes her a better economic leader than Sheheen, an attorney from Camden. "We don't need go backwards and get a trial lawyer to come in here and play governor," Leighton Cubbage, co-founder of the Greenville property management firm Serrus Capital Partners, says in a promotional video for Haley. "Things are improving for a reason." "Take credit for it' Political observers said they are not surprised Haley is focusing on her economic record as her strong suit for her re-election bid. "What else is she known for?" said Neal Thigpen, a retired Francis Marion University political scientist. "It may be her only biggest suit." In her speeches, Haley is not shy about taking credit for the state's post-recession rebound. The first-term incumbent brags about appointing business-friendly directors and board members to regulatory agencies. She highlights new caps on lawsuits and lower business taxes. She mentions getting regional economic development councils to work together. She touts having state employees answer phones by saying, "It's a great day in South Carolina," showing they are emphasizing customer service. "Then, we started to sell South Carolina and magic happened," Haley told an industry group in Dorchester County this month. In her speeches, the statistics follow. The state's jobless rate has fallen sharply. More South Carolinians are employed than ever. The state has the East Coast's fastest-growing economy. And her administration has announced 57,000 jobs. It's true that the top numbers are better. South Carolina's jobless rate has fallen to 6.4 percent in August from 10.5 percent in January 2011 -- the fourth-biggest drop in the nation during that time, according to an analysis of federal labor data. "(S)teady new jobs announced by Gov. Haley since 2011 have helped bring the number of unemployed people downward," the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, an agency that reports directly to the governor, said in a statement. Meanwhile through August, South Carolina has added 94,165 jobs since Haley became governor. The state's 4.8 percent rate of growing jobs has been the 14th-best in the country since 2011, according to an analysis of federal labor data. Also, South Carolina hit an all-time high in employment in May. But not all the statistics are good. The number of jobs statewide has fallen by 15,224 in the last three months combined. The state's labor force -- which counts both those working and looking for work -- has increased by only a fraction of 1 percent in the past three and a half years. And the percentage of work-eligible South Carolinians over the age of 16 who were employed was the sixth worst in the nation in August. Meanwhile, the state's labor force participation rate, which looks at how many people are working and looking for work, remains near an all-time record low. That comes despite South Carolina's working-age population growing by 160,013 since 2011. That was the nation's 11th largest increase, according to federal data. Economists say some S.C. workers have fallen off the labor force rolls because, after years of futile searches, they have stopped looking for jobs. Economists also cite South Carolina's popularity with new retirees as a factor. Nearly two out of three of the 149,500 new residents who have come to the state since Haley took office were 65 years and older, according to U.S. Census data. But armed with generally positive economic news, Haley has a message that might survive most voters' doubts about the strength of the recovery. "The recovery is underway, but, psychologically, many people remain very concerned," said Mike Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. "So selling that positive message is something (candidates) can do at a time like this." Some economists say more is going on than salesmanship. Steve Rondone, a U.S. Labor Department senior economist, said everything South Carolina has to offer -- lower taxes, few unionized workers and a business-friendly climate -- has contributed to its economic success. "It's holistic, including making a good sales pitch," he said. "You see a number of key industries in South Carolina doing well. They have been bouncing back. … We have been seeing a lot of rebound in a lot of the states." Still, Furman University political scientist Danielle Vinson questions the role any one leader might play in South Carolina's economy. If Haley can claim credit, perhaps others can too. "How much credit does President Obama deserve?" Vinson asked. "A governor can help the business climate in the state," Vinson said. "A governor can be effective in getting companies into the state. But the reality is that if an executive on the state or national level could affect everything, we would never have a bad economy. "But just because they can't control it, doesn't mean they are not going to take credit for it." In an interview last week, Haley declined to say how much credit she and her administration deserve for the recovery. Instead, she gave credit to economic development officials statewide. "Is my name at the top? Yes," Haley said. "My name is at the top whether we win. My name is at the top whether we lose. What I will tell you is everything we do is as a team. ... This is a success story, and everybody in the state deserves to feel good because they all had a part in it." "Devil is in the details' Haley has worked to back up the moniker used by her staff, the "jobs governor." The governor gives industrial prospects her cellphone number. Chief executives cite her personal pitches when they make project announcements. She is a regular at ribbon cuttings and plant tours. Mentions of the 57,000 announced jobs have become a ubiquitous part of Haley's speeches and biography. But many voters don't hear "announced" and think the jobs have been filled, political scientists said. "They're more focused on the number than what's after the number," Catawba's Bitzer said. "(Politicians) are always going to use the best numbers to their advantage, when it turns out the devil is in the details." University of South Carolina political scientist Mark Tompkins says voters don't care. "They hear her focus on jobs and focus on the economy, and that's a good thing to them." Companies announcing jobs in South Carolina say they will take from two to 10 years to fulfill their hiring goals, according to news releases from the state. Haley said residents in the communities that have landed projects know it will take time to fill the announced jobs. "I think you undermine the intelligence of the people of South Carolina," she said. The Commerce Department said it does not keep track of how many jobs are filled after companies announce their plans. To find out how many announced jobs have been filled, The State newspaper surveyed the 25 largest job announcements from 2011 and 2012, using a S.C. Department of Commerce list supplied by the governor's office this summer. Because of ties in the number of jobs announced by some companies, the newspaper requested information from 54 projects. The projects surveyed had announced plans to hire at least 100 employees each. The newspaper received responses from 41 projects that had announced 14,895 jobs, according to state news releases. Those 41 projects represented 58 percent of the total job announcements during Haley's first two years in office. Based on interviews with company representatives and economic development officials, 8,378 of those 14,895 announced jobs, or 56.2 percent, have been filled. Getting a portion of the jobs filled is a win, said retired Francis Marion political scientist Thigpen. "Six out of 10 is six out of 10." Haley said she is pleased with the the rate of getting jobs filled. "Reality says it takes a long time to build a plant, it takes a long time to train people, and it takes a long time to get it going," she said. The companies surveyed by The State newspaper said they have not reached their employment goals because they expected to need years to ramp up production or because of delays in working with clients. Part of the jobs shortfall also comes from getting workers up to speed with employers' needs, S.C. Chamber of Commerce president Otis Rawl said. "We have a skills gap now," he said. "We need to prepare the workforce to get into the jobs we have now." Sheheen says the 56 percent of announced jobs filled, found by the newspaper's survey, probably overstates Haley's success. If all 210 job announcements from 2011-12 had been surveyed, the percentage of filled jobs would be lower, he contends. The larger projects surveyed by the newspaper involved more established companies, usually locating in urban areas, he said. Based on his campaigning around the state, smaller projects announced in rural areas "tend not to deliver," Sheheen said. "A blatant lie' The Haley administration jobs list includes at least five projects that closed after a year or never opened, The State found in its survey of major announcements from 2011 and 2012. Those companies collectively announced plans of up to 1,822 jobs. Yet those job numbers remain in the totals that Haley touts in civic club and business group speeches. The inclusion of those closed businesses in the governor's job tally might surprise voters, Thigpen said. "I don't know that, and I think a lot of people won't know either," he said. Sheheen was more blunt. "That's a blatant lie," he said. "A governor should know better." One of those companies that announced jobs, opened and closed was NK Newlook in Barnwell County. Jean-Philippe Meunier said he closed the retail fixture company in 2012, after a year of operation, because he could not find enough qualified workers. The 100-employee Blackville plant lost its main client, Pandora jewelry, because of poor-quality work, he said. Meunier said he moved the company to Barnwell County from Miami because he received a deal on a building. "I was burned pretty badly," he said. "It was the kiss of death." Economic development officials in the region that includes Barnwell County suggested other factors might have contributed to NK Newlook's closing. Online court records show the company has close to $700,000 in federal tax liens. Efforts to reach Meunier about the liens were unsuccessful. On Friday, the Commerce Department said it had culled three businesses with plans for 1,375 jobs that never opened from its job announcements list: 5-Star USA, which promised 1,000 jobs in Marlboro County; Atlantic Beverage, which announced 300 jobs in Spartanburg County; and Pyrotec, which expected 75 jobs in Charleston County. But businesses that closed soon after opening remain on the jobs announcement list. That list also touts the full job numbers announced by the now-closed businesses. ECAPS Corp. in Marlboro County, for instance, had about 15 of the 150 jobs that it promised when it closed, said S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt, a former BMW executive appointed by Haley. NK Newlook's 212 promised jobs also remain on the list. "No business lasts forever," Hitt said. "But they still created jobs." The Commerce Department said it is seeking to recover state incentives from one now-closed company on the jobs list, NK Newlook. Other closed and never-opened businesses had not qualified for incentives. Haley said she gets her data about the number of jobs created by projects from the Commerce Department, which is supposed to scrub companies that did not open from the list. "They give me a weekly number as well as what projects we're going to be announcing that week," she said. "So I go by that number." Not all companies have fallen short of jobs promised. The State newspaper survey found 11 companies that said they have met or surpassed their promised employment goals. They include an expansion at BMW's Greer plant, a new Otis Elevator manufacturing plant in Florence and a new Belk department store distribution center in Jonesville. Belk alone hired twice as many workers as expected. The last accolade given South Carolina's job numbers under Haley are higher, Hitt said. Some companies don't want their project plans announced publicly, the Commerce secretary said. Hitt said 39 projects with 2,212 jobs are not included in state totals. But the jobs tally that Haley uses also is inflated by the inclusion of 4,350 jobs promised with the opening of new Wal-Mart stores. The Commerce Department does not recruit retail jobs, Hitt said. But, he added, "She (Haley) feels strongly about them, and so we put them on the list." Haley said she includes those jobs because she worked directly with Wal-Mart to land them. Haley has spoken at Wal-Mart's supplier conferences. And she and Hitt said several companies, including television and toy manufacturers, have built plants in South Carolina because of those corporate appearances. The job numbers, however, are not the only imprecise figures Haley stumps on. In recent speeches, the governor has said South Carolina has the "fastest-growing economy on the East Coast," a claim that is no longer true. New data, released in June, shows the state's economic growth ranked 35th in the nation in 2013, a year after South Carolina tied North Carolina for the fastest-growing state economy on the East Coast. Haley said she will switch her sales pitch to touting South Carolina as the nation's third-best state to do business, a ranking released last week by Area Development magazine. "When it comes to sales, when it comes to promotion of your state, you go with the last accolade that was given," she said. "Whatever it is that allows me to bring companies in and continue to get South Carolinians into these jobs, that's what we do. ... We said it as long we could, and now we'll switch off to the next one." Sheheen said Haley's outdated claim about the state having the fastest-growing economy on the East Coast shows the Republican is "out of touch with real-family lives." "They know things are not OK in South Carolina," he said. "Forgive and forget' Debating the accuracy of economic data is not going to win Sheheen the Governor's Mansion in a Republican-heavy state, political scientists said. "Unless you get something like an indictment or criminal charge -- look at your now suspended (Republican House) speaker (Bobby Harrell) -- that is where the public would say, "Enough is enough,'" Catawba's Bitzer said. "With most foibles, they're willing to forgive and forget." Sheheen, who lost to Haley by 4.5 percentage points in 2010, is missing an opportunity, USC political scientist Tompkins said. While Haley touts her job numbers, Sheheen should promise to push for more higher-end, skilled jobs, Tompkins said. "We end up chasing jobs at the low end -- though that's better than no jobs at all." Sheheen said that if he wins in November, he will focus on growing South Carolina's small businesses in addition to trying to win big economic development projects. "We can walk and chew gum at the same time," he said. A winner in this economic spat between the major party candidates could be Tom Ervin, who is spending millions on a petition run for governor, Tompkins said. In his $2.5 million ad blitz, the former state lawmaker and judge from Greenville has been sharing his ideas for fixing the state's crumbling roads and slowing the rise in college costs. "There's an opportunity for a vision candidate," Tompkins said. Ervin said if he is elected, he will focus his economic development efforts on two of South Carolina's biggest industries -- tourism and agriculture. He also promises to post economic incentives that the state gives companies on a website after the deals are struck. "Let everyone decide for themselves if it was a good deal," Ervin said. "We have learned that we can't trust (Haley's) numbers."

By Jamie Self Vincent Sheheen says, half joking, that he is not the first face his supporters want to see on the campaign trail. "They'd rather see my dad, or Anthony or Amy," said the Democratic state senator from Camden, referring to his father Fred, his youngest son and wife, in a recent interview with The State about his bid to unseat Republican Gov. Nikki Haley in November. "Maybe it's not a joke. Maybe it's real." Self-deprecating humility is textbook Sheheen, the 14-year legislator's Democratic and Republican allies say. With that quality, Sheheen has become a go-to guy for smart policy insights or a capable bridge across party lines for building support for legislation, House and Senate colleagues say. "Vincent's smart, and you figure that out pretty quickly," said his friend and sometimes-legislative partner, state Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, who also is close to Haley. "He also works hard ... and when you combine the intellect, and the willingness to work hard, that will get you attention in the Senate." Lawmakers also say Sheheen is known for taking on tough issues. On some, he pushes publicly. Other times, however, he works quietly while others take the lead, fearful his candidacy for governor might doom a bill in the GOP-controlled General Assembly. Sheheen pushed hard -- first publicly, then more behind the scenes -- to expand the state's 4-year-old kindergarten program. He also aided in the successful passage of a statewide texting-while-driving ban this year. Sheheen authored another successful bill giving lawmakers and the governor more oversight of state agencies, but said he knew when to stop talking during the debate and say, "Shane Massey, go to the podium. Please." "None of those things are small," said Massey, who co-sponsored the government reform bill with Sheheen. "You have to give him credit for tackling the big, hard issues. You may disagree with his position on them, but he doesn't shy away from the fights." With the November election about two months away, Sheheen is hoping to best his 2010 performance against Haley, who as a relatively unknown Lexington state representative beat him by 4.5 percentage points. Even though Sheheen faces a tough -- some say insurmountable -- battle, a few of his GOP allies see little difference between the two candidates in their ability to lead the state. "Four years ago, the choice might have been a little clearer" between Haley and Sheheen, said state Sen. Wes Hayes, R-York. "But I don't really think it's quite as bright a definition. Sheheen would do a good job, but I think that Gov. Haley is already doing a good job. I don't see a huge amount of difference between the two. Both of them would like to see us do something to improve our roads; both have been outspoken on educational issues." So far, however, Sheheen's campaign has been low-key -- perhaps too much so, political observers say. He has run just two television ads to Haley's four. He has focused instead mostly on shoe-leather politicking, talking to groups of Democrats statewide to encourage higher voter turnout. While one political scientist recently called Sheheen's effort "lackluster," Democrats say the campaign really doesn't start until Labor Day. Haley has a tremendous head start, finishing the June fundraising quarter with $4.5 million in the bank to Sheheen's $1.7 million. Haley and her allies also have worked hard to tout the incumbent's advantages. Haley's campaign ads portray her as a jobs creator and a politician who has moved people "from welfare to work," numbers Sheheen disputed last week. Meanwhile, the governor's allies have run ads attacking Sheheen for defending violent criminals and supporting the expansion of Medicaid, the federal health-care program for the poor, under President Obama's health-care law. But some polls suggest Haley's advantage over Sheheen is not decisive. Two polls this summer, including one commissioned by the S.C. Democratic Party, show Haley with a 3- to 4-percentage-point lead. A conservative-leaning poll out Thursday showed Haley ahead by 15 points. Two July polls by Clemson University and CBS News also showed Haley with a double-digit lead. So far, Sheheen has aimed to cast Haley as an incompetent leader whose state agencies are in disarray. He cites the 2012 hacking of taxpayers' information or a delay in notifying Greenwood parents of a tuberculosis case in their children's school. But convincing voters that Haley is to blame for those incidents could be a tough sell, political scientists say, because it requires explanation. Meanwhile, Haley already is imprinting on voters' minds images of her cutting ribbons at business openings and touting falling jobless rates. Everywhere he goes, Sheheen tells voters that S.C. incomes have declined, and Haley refused to accept federal money to expand Medicaid, a decision that cost the state economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs, according to a University of South Carolina study. For Sheheen, who is accustomed to the low-key corners of the State House, shining brighter than Haley on issues is difficult. Haley also has laid claim to many of the issues that Sheheen championed, including education funding. Democrats remain hopeful. "It's a challenge being a Democrat in this state," said state Rep. James Smith, D-Richland, one of Sheheen's longtime legislative friends. "But people know Vincent, and those who certainly know him respect him and think a great deal of him. Nobody looks at him and says, "He's not prepared to be governor.' " "Realistically change the state' Sheheen says out of his entire family, his son Anthony, now 13 years old and a frequent companion with him on the campaign trail, took his 2010 loss to Haley the hardest. "About three weeks after I lost, we were in church and, just out of the blue, he turned to me and was like, "Dad, I really want you to run for governor again. Will you run for governor again?' " Sheheen recalled. "He liked being out there with people. He liked seeing people and being exposed to new things." Sheheen's political roots run deep in Camden. His grandfather was mayor. His father, Fred, was commissioner on the state's higher education board. Sheheen's uncle, Bob Sheheen, brought the family name to the State House, spending 24 years in the Legislature, including eight years as House speaker. Just as his family led him to politics, Sheheen said the needs of his community -- including a desire to fight a plan to pump North Carolina wastewater into the state -- drove him to run for office in 2000. He said he helped the community by working on expanding Camden's technical college, working with conservationists to protect a Revolutionary War battlefield site where colonial soldiers are buried and helping with the creation of the S.C. Equine Park, a 40-acre horse park. The rest of the state has similar educational, conservation and economic needs, he said. So when Anthony asked him to run for governor again, Sheheen talked to his wife, Amy. The couple did not, he says, discuss the difficulty of beating a majority-party incumbent. Instead, they asked whether, if elected, they "could realistically change the state." Growing the grassroots Sheheen has traveled across the state, meeting with Democratic groups and trying to build coalitions of supporters among women, teachers, small business owners, students and even Republicans who can help spread his message. The senator has a chance to appeal to a range of voters because he is not fiercely partisan -- a trait that makes him a good Democratic candidate in a red state, political observers say. Stumping at a fish fry at the Cherry Hill Missionary Baptist Church, an African-American church in Conway, Sheheen asked parishioners to "remind (their) neighbors what we have experienced" for four years under Haley -- dropping wages and tax dollars paid into a federal health-care program that are not coming back home, he said. The group of about a few dozen people applauded when he said all 4-year-old children should have access to full-day kindergarten. But in Loris, Sheheen told Horry County Democrats to reach across party lines with his message. "It doesn't even matter if you're a Republican or Democrat, and if you believe that, you're part of the team," said Sheheen, who lost the county to Haley in 2010 by a nearly 2-1 margin. Alissa Warters, a Francis Marion University political scientist, recently said during a forum on the governor's race that Sheheen's campaign has been "lackluster." In the same discussion, however, Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon said Sheheen likely has been "active more behind the scenes, building his base, making sure that they're going to turn out in large numbers." Sheheen's opposition to gay marriage -- an issue energizing some activists, shifting state and national Democrats increasingly left -- should not hurt his efforts in a red state, Huffmon said. Instead of demanding their candidates adopt more left-leaning policies, S.C. Democratic activists are mobilizing against a GOP leadership that they see as too far to the right, he said. Sheheen says he would rather focus on issues where he can make a difference, including advocating for laws that ban workplace discrimination because of sexual orientation. A Democratic candidate is "not going to win an election in South Carolina by playing to the furthest left coalition," Huffmon said. "That coalition is simply not large enough." If all the Democrats who voted in 2008 had voted in 2010, Sheheen would be the governor, Democratic consultants say. The party's hope may lie in S.C. newcomers, including conservatives who find themselves out of place in the state's GOP, said Scott Buchanan, a Citadel political scientist. "The demographics are changing," said Joan Furlong, chairwoman of the Horry County Democratic Party who moved to South Carolina from Washington to retire two years ago. "New arrivals, like me, have moved here in the last 10 years" and many of them are more progressive. Behind the scenes Since his 2010 loss, Sheheen has continued his behind-the-scenes work in the Senate, but his higher profile as the presumed again-Democratic nominee for governor has helped push some legislation into law. When Haley opposed offering online retailer Amazon a 20-year tax break and an exemption on collecting sales taxes for a distribution center in her home county, Sheheen urged lawmakers to back the deal and helped broker an agreement. Lexington business consultant Scott Adams, a Republican who gave to Haley's campaign in 2010 and led a grassroots coalition pushing for the deal, said Amazon would not have brought its 2,000 jobs to the state without Sheheen's help. Though Adams said he is still undecided on who will get his vote in November, he did say that he was "extremely grateful to him for what he did. Because of that, I could easily vote for him." The new Department of Administration, which Haley has championed, also would not have passed this year without Sheheen's work authoring and pushing the bill, Republican and Democratic lawmakers say. State Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, once filibustered a government restructuring bill to create a Department of Administration, calling it "Dead on Arrival" on the Senate floor. Then, Jackson says, Sheheen worked to convince him and other Democrats that the bill was sorely needed. Haley thanked Sheheen for his work on the bill in her State of the State address and invited him to the ceremonial bill signing where she gave him a pen. "I've worked on that for years and years and years and years, and it was crazy cool to see it come to fruition," Sheheen said. "Don't achieve a lot on my own' Though Sheheen has seen some of his long-sought policy wishes come true, he's also been somewhat in the shadow of Haley. Like the governor, Sheheen also has written a book, "The Right Way." The book is an outline for fixing the state's battered roads, bringing jobs and improving its public schools by changing the way tax collections pay for public education. Expanding the state's free, 4-year-old kindergarten is something he has "fought and bled for" since he was a House member, he said, and this year a bill became law that lays the groundwork to offer that program statewide. However, this year, Haley pushed her own education plan, causing some Democrats to grouse that the governor hijacked the traditionally Democratic issue in her re-election bid. Her education plan increased education spending by about $180 million for technology, reading coaches and more money to school districts for teaching students living in poverty. While Haley's plan received bipartisan praise, lawmakers and education advocates have said the state must change its tax code to finally fund schools fairly. Asked whether he feels upstaged by Haley taking credit for issues that he has pushed, Sheheen said, "I work hard with other people. I don't achieve a lot on my own." Politics or principle? Just as lawmakers tout Sheheen's ability to move bills past the finish line, one Republican Senate leader says the Democratic challenger's absence from an effort could spell its doom. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Larry Martin, R-Pickens, said he and Sheheen worked together since last year on what supporters said was the most meaningful ethics reform in 20 years. But then, Sheheen pulled his backing from the bill near the end of the session for political reasons, Martin says. Democrats wanted to deny Republican Haley a victory on ethics reform in an election year, he said. Sheheen said the proposal lost its teeth. Two years of shuttling the bill between the House and Senate had stripped the proposal of a key element, ending the practice of lawmakers policing themselves when they are accused of violating the state's ethics laws, Sheheen said. Haley, though critical of the bill, had said she would support it without independent oversight of lawmakers since it included broader income disclosure. Sheheen had voted for an ethics bill without independent oversight. But in the dying minutes of the legislative session, Sheheen was clear he would not support it. "I'm not just going to pass a bill so that Nikki Haley can pretend she's doing something," Sheheen said at the time. "(I'm) not going to pass a bill that doesn't have real independent oversight of the governor, the Senate and the House. ... It didn't even do the things that she said should occur." Sheheen also agreed with government watchdogs who pulled their support: a watered-down bill would allow lawmakers to claim a victory on ethics and put it off for another 20 years. But Republican Martin said he still does not understand Sheheen's change of heart after supporting the proposal even without some of his priorities. "(T)hat didn't sit well with me," Martin said. "He will bend to the politics of the moment in that respect." Sheheen also takes heat from his own party on occasion. Sheheen opposed a bipartisan move by lawmakers to approve through the budget process a pay raise for themselves this year and the proposal failed in the Senate. "Colleagues were literally up in his face saying, "You are costing us the ability to earn more money,' " Jackson said, recalling an intense debate over the issue in a private meeting of Senate Democrats. House Democrats also were aggressive in their efforts to change Sheheen's position, trying to enlist Smith, Sheheen's friend, to talk to him. "I didn't even put forth the effort," Smith said, adding that he knew Sheheen had made up his mind. Sheheen, who says he opposes legislative pay raises whenever they come up, told his colleagues the right way to get a raise was to introduce legislation that the public and a committee could vet. "At the end of the day, although I was on the other side, I left there admiring him -- because here's a man who sticks to his convictions," Jackson said. Attacking the attorney In contrast, Haley's campaign and her allies say Sheheen is someone who cannot be trusted, citing his work as a lawyer. The hits on Sheheen started this year with attack ads from the Republican Governors Association. One called into question Sheheen's judgment for defending violent criminals, including an 18-year-old convicted of a sex offense involving an underage teen. As a young attorney, Sheheen said he wanted to try different types of law. He handled a small number of defense cases before moving to mostly civil cases, he said. Haley's campaign also questioned Sheheen's ethics for having cases pending before magistrate judges appointed by the S.C. General Assembly. Critical of the way lawmakers appoint judges, Sheheen has introduced bills to have the state Supreme Court appoint magistrates. Those bills have failed to gain traction. Sheheen's critics also say his attacks on Haley are unfair and dishonest. Sheheen's recent TV ad said Haley intentionally hid the hacking of S.C. taxpayers' information. She was asked by federal and state law enforcement to wait more than two weeks to make the breach public. But some lawmakers who count Haley and Sheheen as allies say they see little difference between the two candidates in their leadership abilities. Massey, the GOP senator who counts himself in a "small club" of lawmakers who have both Haley and Sheheen as friends, said voters have good options in November, despite their different approaches to policy. "We have two very good people to choose from. Both of them ... are capable of leading the state, and both of them want to move the state forward, and they have good ideas to make that happen," he said. As the campaign season rolls on, voters can expect the allegations to fly from both camps, and those of the three other challengers in the race. But Sheheen says the charges and countercharges miss what South Carolinians care about. When Sheheen was running for the state House, he said he was surprised when people remembered his great-grandfather, who ran a store in Camden and let farmers buy groceries on credit, paying after the crops came in. That had to have occurred 60 years earlier, Sheheen said, standing on a Camden sidewalk and peering into his great-grandfather's former store, where he remembers running around as a child and lobbying for a Coke. "It reminded me of what's important and what people remember," Sheheen said. "What they don't remember is a bunch of TV commercials and a bunch of hype and a bunch of political stuff. "What they remember is if you help them or not."

By Dave Munday Democratic gubernatorial candidate Vincent Sheheen stood among the busts of famous people in Pinewood Preparatory School's Liberty Garden and looked out over an audience of 70 who came to greet him Sunday. Just 10 days before the election, it all came down to those who have not yet decided, he said. "I started this campaign 20 points down (against Republican Nikki Haley)," he said. "Now it's a virtual dead heat, with the undecideds making the difference." Sheheen promised he would help restore the state's reputation as more than a butt of jokes. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result," he said. "For the last eight years we've had bickering, division and scandal like we've never had before. This election in a very big way has to be about putting that past behind us ... and restoring our reputation around the country." Sheheen reminded the audience that South Carolina, which now has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, had one of the lowest in the 1990s. That was because of the leadership of men like former Govs. Carroll Campbell and Richard Riley and former Sen. Fritz Hollings -- not all Democrats, he said. "Without a vision, the people perish," Sheheen said, quoting the biblical book of Proverbs. "That's what has happened to South Carolina." He cited several of the scandals that have kept the state in the national news. Business leaders around the state tell him they're worried that reputation is hindering their opportunities. "This election is not about moving the state to left or right but … moving the state forward," he said. Two other Democratic candidates also spoke at Pinewood on Sunday. They were Ashley Cooper, who is running for lieutenant governor, and Robert Barber, who is running for comptroller general. Democratic attorney general candidate Matthew Richardson was on the program but couldn't make it because of a commitment in Barnwell, organizers said. Republican candidates also were invited for a separate appearance but have not accepted the invitation, according to Johnny Linton, an attorney and former Pinewood board member. Cooper grew up in Charleston, and his grandfather started Southeastern Galleries here. Cooper also referenced the scandals that have marked Columbia politics the past several years. "With your help, we're going to put South Carolina on the news for all the right reasons," he said. Barber grew up in Columbia but owns Bowen's Island Restaurant near Folly Beach and has children in Summerville. He promised more transparency in the comptroller general's office, which oversees state spending. "Too many people in Columbia have lost touch with what's going on," he said.