Rep. Inglis works to save his job ahead of runoff

Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) has a busy weekend schedule as he fights to keep his job ahead of next week's primary runoff. 

Inglis is in danger of becoming the fifth congressional incumbent to lose his seat this primary season. He came in second in the June 8th election with 27 percent of the vote, trailing Spartanburg prosecutor Trey Gowdy (R) by almost 12 points.

South Carolina-based Republican strategists tell The Ballot Box Inglis has little chance of overcoming that deficit ahead of the June 22 runoff vote.

Still, Inglis plans to meet Gowdy for three candidate forums, the first happening Friday evening on the air of WORD, a Greenville conservative talk radio station.

The second event is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Beacon drive-in restaurant in Spartanburg, and the final forum is scheduled for lunchtime Monday at the Poinsett Club in Greenville.

Inglis put up a one-minute, direct-to-camera TV spot (see below). "When Joe Wilson said, 'you lie!' he should have pointed at every member of Congress,” Inglis says in the ad.

He's also rolled out the endorsement of Bob Jones III, the chancellor of Bob Jones University, which is in his district. Jones, however, has been unavailable to appear for Inglis because he is traveling.

Gowdy, meanwhile, has launched a 30-second TV ad that touts his conservative principles. He also has the support of Bob Taylor, a Greenville County councilman and dean of the College of Arts and Science at Bob Jones University.

Inglis represents one of the most conservative districts in the country. But he angered his constituents by voting for the Wall Street bailout and with the Democrats on a resolution condemning the Iraq war surge. He's also expressed concern about global warming, which prompted one of his previous opponents to dub him the "Al Gore of the Republican Party."

Perhaps the last straw for some of his critics came when he told constituents at a forum on healthcare to "turn Glenn Beck off."