Ted Turner's son joins crowded S.C. primary

Teddy Turner, unlike his father, is a Republican.
Teddy Turner, unlike his father, is a Republican. (BRUCE SMITH / AP)
Teddy Turner, unlike his father, is a Republican.GALLERY: Teddy Turner, unlike his father, is… (BRUCE SMITH…)
By Bruce Smith, Associated Press
Posted: January 24, 2013

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. - Teddy Turner inherited his love of sailing from his father, media magnate Ted Turner. But there is less of a family resemblance when it comes to politics.

While the elder Turner leans Democratic, Teddy Turner is running as a Republican in a crowded race for an open South Carolina congressional seat created by a U.S. Senate appointment.

Said the younger Turner: "My dad has been asking for years, 'How the heck did you become so conservative?' "

Teddy Turner, 49, is one of at least 10 Republicans and two Democrats running in the March 19 party primaries in this coastal district.

The contest has already attracted former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican seeking to make a political comeback after an affair with an Argentine woman derailed his career, and comedian Steven Colbert's sister, who is vying for the Democratic nomination.

One of five Turner children, Robert Edward Turner IV graduated from South Carolina's military college, The Citadel, then worked in the then-Soviet Union with CNN, the cable network his dad founded.

Later he held positions both with Turner Broadcasting System and Country Music Television before returning to Charleston 13 years ago. He ran several businesses and worked with underprivileged children. Now he teaches economics at the private Charleston Collegiate School, near Charleston.

What concerns him most is the federal budget deficit and what kind of nation his three young children will inherit.

"There is a window of opportunity to talk common sense," he said, "before it all starts to scatter and shatter."

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