Someone out there has to be thinking about getting in the Lt. Governor's race

Reports are Tim Scott will run for Congress instead of Lt. Governor, leaving Florence County Council member Ken Ard and Orangeburg businessman Bill Conner as the only two GOP candidates for Lt. Governor.

While there is little to indicate that both Ard and Conner are not good men, the field seems ripe for a latecomer. Frankly, the Lt. Governor's race sports a strikingly weak field historically. If the field remains the same, it will be the first time that the Republican Party had a primary field for Lt. Governor without a member of the General Assembly or an incumbent since 1986. That year, the Republicans nominated Tommy Hartnett, then a United States Congressman. Hartnett's nomination was part of the "Campbell-Hartnett" dream ticket that led to Campbell becoming Governor and Democratic State Senator Nick Theodore becoming Lt. Governor.

In other words,the race for Lt. Governor is wide open. As such, do not be shocked if someone running for another office decides to run for Lt. Governor, or if some state senator jumps in.

Jumping into the Lt. Governor's race is something that a candidate for Governor like Nikki Haley should consider. Such is a difficult move to make at this point, but Haley would go from likely spoiler in the Governor's race to the front runner in the Lt. Governor's race. There are probably several state senators who see that possibility for themselves, if they are willing to move to Lt. Governor's chair.

As it stands, the field for Lt. Governor is historically weak. Little attention is being paid to the race. An ambitious candidate willing to roll the dice and work hard could win the job out of what is considered nowhere. It is going to be interesting to watch.