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Alvin Michael Greene (born August 30, 1977) is the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2010 United States Senate election in South Carolina. He is the first African-American to be nominated for U.S. Senate by a major party in South Carolina since Reconstruction. Greene faces incumbent Republican Senator Jim DeMint and Green Party candidate Tom Clements in the general election.

Greene won the Democratic primary race against candidate Vic Rawl in June of 2010 with 59% of votes cast despite very limited campaigning and campaign spending, no website, and no yard signs.

Greene graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2000 with a degree in political science and is a United States military veteran who served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force before receiving an involuntary honorable discharge in 2009. He is currently unemployed and lives with and cares for his father in Manning, roughly halfway between Columbia and Charleston.

Background

Greene was born in Florence, South Carolina. His father, James Greene, is a retired teacher from the Clemson Extension program, was a barber, and a nightclub owner. He was a prominent member of the community "who wanted blacks to play a bigger role in politics and entertainment" and "an outspoken activist for Democratic politics."

Greene graduated from Manning High School in 1995 and received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of South Carolina in 2000. He served as an intelligence specialist and a unit supply specialist in the U.S. Army and has served in the Air Force and Army National Guard. He received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. Greene received an honorable but involuntary discharge from the Army in 2009 after a 13 year career and has been unemployed since.

Senate campaign

Greene said that he originally got the idea to run for office in 2008 when he was stationed in Korea. In the South Carolina Democratic primary held June 8, 2010 he received 100,362 (59%) votes out of 170,215 votes cast, while 69,853 (41%) went to Vic Rawl. Voter turnout in most counties was in the range of 20-30%.

After Greene was declared the winner and after his opponent congratulated him on his win, officials in the Democratic party began to voice opposition and to raise questions about Greene and his campaign. South Carolina Democratic Party chairwoman Carol Fowler said she had not seen Greene since he filed to run. Clarendon County Democratic Party Chairman Cal Land told local newspaper The Item that local party leaders had not met Greene, that he had not attended any local Democratic events and had not responded to any invitations to local stump meetings. He did not attend the state Democratic party convention, did not file the form with the Secretary of the Senate and the legally required form for the Federal Election Commission, and attempted to pay his $10,400 filing fee with a personal check, rather than a check from a campaign account.

The day after the primary election, the media reported that Greene was facing felony obscenity charges stemming from a November 2009 arrest for allegedly showing a pornographic picture on an Internet site to an 18-year-old female University of South Carolina student and then allegedly said to her "Let's go to your room" in a computer lab. She then called campus police. The mother of the victim has claimed that USC authorities had warned Greene not to visit certain parts of campus in the past. As a result of these charges, Fowler issued a statement calling for Greene to drop out of the race, saying

We are proud to have nominated a Democratic ticket this year that, with the apparent exception of Mr. Greene, reflects South Carolina's values. Our candidates want to give this state a new beginning without the drama and irresponsibility of the past 8 years, and the charges against Mr. Greene indicate that he cannot contribute to that new beginning. I hope he will see the wisdom of leaving the race.

Greene refused to bow out of the race and announced that "The Democratic Party has chosen their nominee, and we have to stand behind their choice. The people have spoken. We need to be pro-South Carolina, not anti-Greene."

Greene appeared on various news programs after his primary victory. He responded with short answers, refused to comment on the obscenity allegations, and rejected rumors that he is employed by the Republican political party.

Greene is the first African-American to be nominated for the U.S. Senate by a major party in South Carolina since Reconstruction. He is one of three men, along with Kendrick Meek of Florida and Mike Thurmond of Georgia, who are currently trying to become the fifth African-American to serve in the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction, and the first from the South.

Political positions

Greene describes himself as a moderate Democrat. His campaign slogan is "Let's get South Carolina back to work." Greene favors measures to lower the price of gas and supports offshore drilling. He supports a united Korea under a democratic system of government. He would let the Bush tax cuts expire and supports reform of the financial industry. Greene supports job creation and would increase highway construction projects and pursue alternative energy sources. He has also called for better school facilities and pay raises for teachers. When asked about free trade, Greene said that he has to look into the issue further before taking a position. On the subject of firearms, Greene said he supports the Constitution. Greene favors winding down the wars in the Middle East and "using that money for domestic programs, such as job creation, education, and Social Security."

Questions about candidacy

Though his victory has baffled many, several explanations have been offered. Some observers, including State Representative Bakari Sellers, have stated that the fact that his name appeared above Vic Rawl may have caused voters who were unfamiliar with either candidate to vote for Greene. South Carolina State Senator Robert Ford claimed that the surname "Greene" is common among African Americans, and suggested that fact may have caused African American voters to identify with him. There has also been speculation that voters may have confused the candidate with soul singer Al Green, whose real name is Albert Greene.

Journalists and politicians have theorized that Greene might be a Republican plant. South Carolina Democratic party officials have noted that in 1990 a political consultant recruited an African-American challenger to run against white front-runners in South Carolina's Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in an effort to undermine their election prospects. The possibility has also been raised that Greene was put up by non-partisan political consultants that were bored. Nu Wexler, the former executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party, commented "You have consultants doing this kind of thing just because they get bored, and they want something to tell good stories about. It's almost like fraternity pranks."

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, himself the only African-American ever elected to either house of Congress from South Carolina, has said that he suspects Greene is a plant and although there is no evidence of any wrongdoing, has called for an investigation into the primary. Clyburn, alleging that two other African-American candidates in the 2010 South Carolina primary - one who defeated a retired Air Force colonel to secure the Democratic nomination in the 1st congressional district and another who ran against Clyburn himself - were also Republican plants, remarked that he "just felt this was 1990 all over again". Clyburn was referring to the events surrounding the 1990 primary in South Carolina, when political consultant Rod Shealy recruited an unemployed black fisherman to run in a Republican congressional primary in order to boost white turnout for a different election on the same ballot.

Some commentators have raised questions about whether Greene paid the $10,440 filing fee out of his own funds, as required by law. Greene claims that he paid the filing fee by saving two years of his service pay. However, according to court records, Greene is currently being represented by a public defender in his obscenity case. South Carolina law requires defendants who want to be represented by the public defender's office to file an "affidavit of indigency" in order to prove they cannot afford to hire a lawyer. On this affidavit, the applicant must disclose all income and assets, including checking accounts. Former state Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian told NPR that this revelation raises doubts about whether Greene could afford the filing fee. He also said W. Bradley Giese, the solicitor (district attorney) for the 5th Judicial Circuit, which includes Columbia, will likely haul Greene before a judge to explain how he could pay the filing fee if he needs a public defender. Clyburn also doubts that Greene could have paid the filing fee on his own. Late on the afternoon of June 11, Fowler told WCNC-TV in Charlotte that the Federal Election Commission has launched a probe into where Greene got the money for the fee.

In response to an official protest filed by Rawl, the executive committee of the South Carolina Democratic Party scheduled a formal hearing for June 17, 2010, to review questions regarding the legitimacy of the primary election results. Greene stated that he would neither attend nor send a representative to the hearing.

Less Partisan observers have noted that Democrats, notorious for claiming elections were 'stolen' when things don't go their way and quick to make racist smears when it suits them politically, are guilty of doing the exact same thing in their attempts to minimize an African-American's historic win in the 2010 South Carolina primary.

References

1. ^ Franke-Ruta, Garance. Clyburn: Alvin Greene is 'someone's plant' in South Carolina, Washington Post blog, 6 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
2. ^ Adcox, Seanna. Alvin Greene UPSET: Mystery Man Stuns In South Carolina Senate Primary. The Huffington Post.'.' Retrieved 8 June 2010.
3. Political Wire: Unknown Candidate wins Senate Nomination. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
4. In South Carolina, Greene is mystery man despite winning Democratic Senate nod, Washington Post", 11 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
5. ^ Wolfe, Wes. Strange happenings in the Dem senatorial primary. Wolfe Reports. May 21, 2010.
6. Hutchins, Corey. A Phantom Candidate for U.S. Senate? Free Times. Issue #23.20 :: 05/19/2010 - 05/25/2010
7. The Manning-churian Candidate? Issue #23.24 :: 06/15/2010 - 06/21/2010 Free Times (Columbia, South Carolina)
8. ^ Osby, Liv. Former judge, newcomer challenge for Senate. The Greenville News. May 25, 2010.
9. ^ Baker, Robert J. Local Dems didn't know Greene. "The Item." June 10, 2010. Cite error: The named reference "The Item" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
10. ^ Dwyer, Devin; Osunsami, Steve. "Sen. Nominee Was Kicked Out of Army, Has Felony Charge Pending". ABC News. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
11. ""In South Carolina, Greene is mystery man despite winning Democratic Senate nod"".
12. ^ Khimm, Suzy. Who Is Alvin Greene? Mother Jones. June 8, 2010.
13. South Caroline State Election Commission. Official election results. Note: scroll down or page through the list to find the results for the Democractic Senate primary. US Senate Results (Dem). June 14, 2010.
14. "In South Carolina, Greene is mystery man despite winning Democratic Senate nod".
15. ^ Khimm, Suzy. Mother Vows Revenge on Alvin Greene for Showing Porn to Her Daughter. Mother Jones. June 10, 2010.
16. Kinnard, Meg. Mystery S.C. Dem has pending felony charge Associated Press. June 9, 2010.
17. "Alvin Greene Felony Charges: South Carolina Senate Candidate Asked To Withdraw Over Criminal Allegations".
18. "South Carolina Democrats Try to Push Nominee Out". Politicalwire.com. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
19. "S.C. Democrat Greene urged to quit U.S. Senate race over obscenity charge". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
20. Duboff, Josh (2010-06-11). "Keith Olbermann Struggles To Get Answers From Alvin Greene". New York. Retrieved 2010-06-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
21. Samuel, Terence. Alvin Greene and the Strange Politics of South Carolina. The Root. June 9, 2010.
22. (2010-06-15) "Alvin Greene (D-S.C.) Rising Star in Democrat Party", The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
23. ^ Update: Clyburn calls for probe in Senate race The Post and Courier, Robert Behre and David Slade. June 10, 2010
24. Leibovich, Mark. Who’s Alvin Greene? State Asks After Vote. The New York Times. June 11, 2010.
25. Cook, John. Mystery S.C. nominee has pending felony charge. Yahoo! News, 2010-06-09.
26. South Carolina Votes First, Asks Questions (Who’s Alvin Greene?) Later New York Times, Mark Leibovich. June 11, 2010
27. Franke-Ruta, Garance. Intrigue surrounding S.C.'s Democratic primary deepens, Washington Post, June 11, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
28. Hunter, Kathleen. Clyburn Calls for Probe Into South Carolina Primary Candidates. Congressional Quarterly. June 10, 2010.
29. ^ Top Dem wants mystery candidate investigated. MSNBC, 2010-06-10.
30. Cook, John. Where'd Alvin Greene get $10K to run for Senate? Yahoo! News, 2010-06-10.
31. How did Alvin Greene win in South Carolina? All Things Considered. National Public Radio, 2010-06-10.
32. Berky, Rad. SC Senate candidate Greene faces federal investigation. WCNC-TV, 2010-06-11.
33. ^ Kinnard, Meg (2010-06-17) "SC Dems hearing protest over US Senate primary", The Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
34. Pappas, Alex (2010-06-17) "How Alvin Greene could get booted from the ballot in South Carolina", The Daily Caller, Retrieved 2010-06-17.
35. O'Donnell, Kelly (2010-06-16) "SC Dems to hold hearing on Greene tomorrow", MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2010-06-17.

External links

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Democrats Are Hinting Foul Play In South Carolina Senate Primary by NPR
• Who Is Alvin Greene? by Mother Jones
• Interview with Greene on YouTube

• People from Clarendon County, South Carolina
• University of South Carolina alumni
• South Carolina Democrats
• African American politicians
• Living people
• 1977 births