Become more informed with new political hash section

Election season is upon us.

Party primaries will be held June 8. The general election is Nov. 2.

We know that a number of key offices will turn over this year. And incumbents in other races will be challenged.

Because of term endings or because the incumbents are running for other offices, we will elect a new governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. House member. There are a number of other key elections, including one U.S. Senate seat, all S.C. House seats, four County Council members and five School Board members, that could be challenged.

As our editorial on page 13A today notes, leadership is critical for our state.

South Carolina did not cause a recession to happen, but we certainly have participated in it. Our unemployment rate has grown to 12 percent and may be climbing. Those figures don't include those who have given up searching for a job.

Whether we like it or not, we are forced to find new ways to conduct governmental business, whether on the national, state or local level.

The Aiken Standard has been and will continue to be a leader in helping you know and understand those whom we are about to vote for.

Our coverage will certainly include our traditional methods, lots of stories and facts about the candidates and the election process.

This year, we'll have additional ways to keep you informed.

Our web presence - aikenstandard.com - is growing, and we've just begun our work with television. Channel 95 on Atlantic Broadband is now ASTV, and it features a news show broadcast at 4, 6 and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

And we have a new feature that will appear Mondays in the Aiken Standard. It's called "Political Hash."

"Hash" as food is a mixture. And that describes this feature.

It will include comments from the candidates about themselves, comments about their opponents and comments from observers of the political process. Some of the comments will come from traditional sources; others will be from new sources, such as blogs.

Candidates often surprise us once they've been elected. Some of those surprises are pleasant, and others cause us to shake our heads.

The Aiken Standard, aikenstandard.com and ASTV want to make you more informed than ever when you make your ballot choices.

It is our great hope that better leadership is the result.

Scott B. Hunter

Publisher