Horry County Council candidate rejects opponent’s offer to drop out of race

A plan to deliver next week’s Republican runoff to Horry County Council candidate Bob Kelly backfired this week when Kelly’s opponent rejected an offer to withdraw from the race.

Bubba Owens insists he won’t abandon his pursuit of the District 3 seat and is refusing to meet with Kelly or anyone from his campaign.

“They’ve tried to talk to me, but I won’t talk to them,” said Owens, a 48-year-old repairman. “This whole campaign I’ve refused to talk to them because I don’t want to get into a situation where they can say some more negativity about me.”

The race for the District 3 seat has grown intense in recent weeks, with Owens’ criminal record taking center stage.

Kelly, 59, has campaigned on his background as a police officer while highlighting Owens’ past legal troubles, which include convictions for criminal domestic violence, unlawful use of a telephone and harassment.

Despite facing scrutiny over his record, Owens finished second in last week’s Republican Primary and Kelly, who led all four candidates in the race, did not receive enough votes to win the primary outright. The result paved the way for Tuesday’s runoff.

The idea of one candidate dropping out was never floated until Kelly’s political consultant, Jim Wiles, called Owens’ campaign on Friday, said Donald Smith, who is running Owens’ campaign.

In a voicemail left on Smith’s cell phone, Wiles urged Owens to exit the race. Wiles told The Sun News that he left the message with the hope of galvanizing Owens’ supporters against the Democratic nominee.

“Team Bubba should put together a shopping list of stuff that they would want for downtown Myrtle Beach for Bob Kelly to commit to in exchange for Bubba dropping out,” Wiles said in the message. “I’ve got respect for your skill set, but you’ve really got an uphill road and you don’t need me to tell you that. But Bob would like to prove his commitment to treating Myrtle Beach the same way he treats Carolina Forest and being a true bridge between the two parts of the district.”

As for the “shopping list,” Wiles said he had been looking into issues that would resonate with Myrtle Beach voters such as reducing crime and encouraging downtown redevelopment. He said he wanted to offer Kelly's support for issues like those to show Owens the city's interests would be represented even if he dropped out.

“What you have there is me calling the other consultant as a courtesy,” he said of the voicemail.

Wiles followed up with another message to Smith on Tuesday, asking to meet with him.

Smith, who has been involved with Horry County political campaigns for more than three decades, said the request was a first.

“I’ve never heard of this or experienced this before,” he said. “But I’ve never really talked to an opposition candidate once the campaign starts. Once I’m engaged by a candidate, there’s no need for me or my client, I believe, to have conversation with a candidate ... especially with a runoff.”

Although calls for candidates to drop out of campaigns are not uncommon, those negotiations typically stay behind the scenes, said Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University. In this case, he said, the offer doesn’t appear to cross legal boundaries.

“I would suspect that it would only be illegal if money or something of tangible value changed hands,” he said. “A promise to become a standard bearer on issues another candidate cares about probably doesn't fall under the definition of a bribe.”

Despite Wiles’ offer on his behalf, Kelly maintains he didn’t know about the request for Owens to step aside.

“I haven’t talked to Bubba at all,” he said. “I called Bubba yesterday (Monday) just to sit down and have a chat with him, but he wasn’t available.”

When asked why he called Owens, Kelly said he hadn’t spoken with him since the Nov. 3 primary and wanted to touch base.

“I just wanted to reach out,” he said. “I was just being cordial.”

As for Wiles, he contends his voicemails were intended to unite local Republicans against Jimmy Washington, the Democratic candidate who will face the GOP nominee in the Dec. 22 general election.

“After the runoff, we have to go beat the Democratic candidate and the Democrats have united behind him,” Wiles said. “It’s all about three things: finding your friends, getting your friends to the polls and assembling a coalition that results in an electoral majority.”

Rather than wait until after runoff, Wiles said he wanted to try to pick up Owens’ supporters early. The district covers the south end of Myrtle Beach, where Owens lives, and part of Carolina Forest, Kelly’s home. Carolina Forest also includes many retirees and transplants like Kelly, who moved there from New Jersey, and Wiles worries those voters will be back up North for Christmas during next month’s general election.

“We need the coalition now,” he said. “It’s better to form a coalition than to beat him and to then try to do it.”

Such an arrangement, however, is impossible, Owens said. Kelly’s focus on Owens’ criminal history throughout the campaign has cemented his desire to stay in the race.

“Ever since they slung all this mud trying to make me look as bad as they could, I’m just going to go forward,” Owens said. “I wouldn’t drop out now for nothing.”

Even if one of the candidates did abandon the runoff, that wouldn’t guarantee the remaining Republican victory, said Sandy Martin, director of the Horry County Voters Registration and Elections Office. In such a situation, the third place finisher from the earlier race would appear on the ballot.

“The candidate has to win by a majority,” she said. “Even if the other one drops out, he’s not won by a majority. Whoever’s next in line would come up.”

In the District 3 race, Ethan Leyshon finished third, garnering 22 percent of the vote.

The special election is being held to fill the seat vacated by Marion Foxworth, who stepped down in August to become the county’s register of deeds.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Horry County Council candidate rejects opponent’s offer to drop out of race."