Jim Rex was South Carolina's last Democratic state official. Oscar Lovelace ran for governor as a Republican.
Now the two are trying to bring another voice to politics in South Carolina and maybe eventually, to the rest of the country.
They're touting a new "American Party" as an alternative to the two main parties. They've been pushing the idea around the state and on Wednesday plan to hold an informational meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Rock Hill's York Tech.
Their platform: Term limits, fiscal accountability and a "non-partisan problem-solving agenda." The point, says Rex, a former state superintendent of education, is to "give moderates a choice."
"What we're trying to do is change the game, not advantage or disadvantage one team or another," says Rex.
"If we're ever to going to change the system you've got to have a disruptive force from outside .... I've learned by being a candidate, and also by being an incumbent, the limitations of incumbency and candidacy in the duopoly we have in this country. The system persists and perseveres. Good people come and go."
