SC governor's race comments draw fire

S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford said he didn't see a black candidate being elected statewide "in the foreseeable future," according to published reports of a televised interview featuring the governor. Sanford added, however, the situation was tragic and could be remedied by gubernatorial appointments and a restructured state government, which he is pushing for.

Critics say the Republican governor injected racial politics into his attempt to pass a stalled restructuring bill.

"We've got to give these kids the idea that the color of their skin is not going to matter, but rather the content of their character is going to matter," Rep. Fletcher Smith, D-Greenville, told The Greenville News.

Other black Democrats said they couldn't fault Sanford with being honest because they thought the only way an African-American leader would get a top statewide job was through gubernatorial appointment. More: Associated Press.