Graham's foe for Senate is no party man

CAYCE, S.C. --- On a recent Thursday, the South Carolina Democrat sharing the top of state ballots with Barack Obama strode through a parking lot where bumper stickers featured the candidacies of Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin.

Inside the family eatery just outside Columbia, a mix of independents, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Constitution Party members waited. Members of Southern heritage groups were there. Copies of Free the South: A Blueprint for Peaceful and Legal Secession , rested on a couple of tables.

In a year when South Carolina voter registration has shot up because of Mr. Obama's candidacy, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bob Conley is a decidedly odd fit. It's a role the 43-year-old engineer and flight instructor seems to relish.

"The job of a U.S. senator is to represent his state and the interests of his state, and that means the people of the state," said Mr. Conley, sporting his signature flattop haircut. "And that means we go around and we talk to folks of all different strata and philosophy because my job in January is to represent these folks in Washington."

For all his talk of diverse backers, Mr. Conley is a man without a base.

He once ran as a Republican for an Indiana state House seat, then bolted for the Reform Party. After moving to North Myrtle Beach, he joined his local GOP committee and backed Ron Paul in this year's South Carolina presidential primary. Five months later, he won a lackluster contest to become the Democratic pick to face powerhouse Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in November.

Mr. Conley is not publicly endorsing Mr. Obama -- that's his personal business, he said, adding that his dream ticket would be led by Pat Buchanan, with Mr. Paul as vice president. When asked where he thinks he'll draw support considering his party's leaders don't appear to like him, he shoots back, "Democrats, Republican, Libertarians and vegetarians."

"I think the American people and the people of South Carolina are recognizing there's a certain strata in the political class that doesn't represent them," Mr. Conley said.

He doesn't pull any punches when talking about Mr. Graham, who has emerged as John McCain's wing man. Mr. Conley calls him Mr. McCain's "mini-me." Mr. Conley talks of the need for energy independence, getting out of Iraq, and warns of a North American union of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

Graham campaign manager Scott Farmer declined to respond to the criticism. For now, Mr. Graham's campaign also has not committed to meeting Mr. Conley in any pre-election debate.