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Lotz, Miller face uphill battle for seat

The sprawling 2nd Congressional District hasn't sent a Democrat to Congress since 1965.

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WASHINGTON -- Two war veterans who share an antipathy for Rep. Joe Wilson have turned their fire on each other as they vie for victory in the June 10 Democratic primary and the right to challenge the Lexington Republican incumbent in November.

Rob Miller, a retired Marine Corps captain who fought in Iraq, and Blaine Lotz, a retired Air Force intelligence colonel who tracked enemy fire in Vietnam, exemplify a nationwide Democratic strategy of tapping military veterans to help expand the congressional majority the party gained in 2006.

The sprawling 2nd Congressional District, which hasn't sent a Democrat to Congress since 1965, embraces all or parts of 10 counties from the Midlands and along the Georgia border to Beaufort, Hilton Head Island and other coastal areas.

While Democratic operatives in Washington admit that picking up the 2nd District seat is an uphill climb, they say it's in play during a tumultuous and possibly historic presidential election year.

"We're keeping a close eye on that district," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "It's on our radar screen."

Before Miller or Lotz takes on Wilson in the general election, they must deal with each other.

The Miller campaign Friday began sending mailers tying Lotz, who held a senior Pentagon intelligence post before leaving Washington in 2005, to President Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Lotz, 65, responded angrily Saturday while campaigning in Lexington and Barnwell counties.

Noting that he was appointed as assistant secretary of defense for intelligence oversight by President Clinton in 1998, Lotz rebutted Miller's efforts to tie his Pentagon work to flawed intelligence on Iraq before the war.

"The Iraq War was wrong from the start, and I have said so," Lotz said. "While I have publicly praised Rob Miller in the past for his Iraq service, I now find it incredible that he challenges my Democratic credentials.

Lotz touts his experience and contacts in Washington, while Miller casts himself as a Washington outsider who would help change Congress.

Lotz has been endorsed by the Democratic Party chairmen in seven of the district's 10 counties.

"He's so well prepared, and he has a lifetime of experience," said Kathy Hensley, chairwoman of the Lexington County Democratic Party. "He knows what the issues are and what this country is all about. I strongly believe that he is very interested in making some changes and helping people in the 2nd District."

Claudia Kennedy, a military retiree who was the Army's first female three-star general and now lives in Hilton Head, said she and Lotz became friends when they worked at the Pentagon.

"He's real calm," Kennedy said. "When you talk with him, he listens well, and then he remembers what you told him. His value system and his judgment and his character are consistent with what you would expect of a leader with a deep military background."

A similar number of other prominent Democrats have endorsed Miller. They included state Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg, state Rep. Leon Howard of Columbia, chairman of the S.C. Legislative Black Council, and Columbia Mayor Bob Coble.

"Rob Miller is our best shot at winning the 2nd District in November," said Dick Harpootlian, a Columbia lawyer and former state Democratic Party chairman. "He served our country with honor in Iraq and will do so in the United States Congress."

Miller, who left the Marines Corps in February, lives on Ladys Island. He and his wife Shane own The Recruit's Depot, a popular Beaufort store that sells Parris Island and San Diego Marine Corps T-shirts, hats, mugs, decals, coolers and other memorabilia.

After leaving the Pentagon three years ago, Lotz and his wife Lynne settled in Hilton Head Island, where he has become active in Democratic politics, aids the Deep Well food pantry and consults on national security with emerging democratic countries.

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