Alvin Greene made a name for himself after becoming the South Carolina's Democratic Party senate nominee.
WACH (COLUMBIA) -- Alvin Greene quickly became headline news following the primary elections on June 8, 2010.
Despite very-little campaigning, Greene won the race with 59 percent of the vote against opponent Vic Rawl, a retired judge who led an aggressive bid for office.
However, Greene's win was not met with words of congratulations; instead questions swirled around the “mystery man.” Some people believed the 33-year-old of Manning may have been a Republican plant, while others blamed the voting machines.
In the meantime, Greene was the punch line of jokes heard across the U.S.
“I think he was an embarrassment last year, he is an embarrassment this year. He will be an embarrassment next year, and as a matter of fact in 10 years from now, he will still be an embarrassment,” says Dick Harpootlian, Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party.
Soon after capturing the nomination, Greene also faced calls by Democratic Party to pull out after learning the candidate was facing criminal charges. Greene was eventually defeated in the general election by Republican Senator Jim DeMint, who is currently serving his second term.
According to Harpootlian, the state’s Democratic Party is now looking to move forward from last year’s highly-publicized debacle.
“You know we may have had Alvin Greene, but the Republicans have Nikki Haley and if you thought the first six months of her administration were a success, then you need to get drug tested,” Harpootlian said.
Voters could see Greene’s name on the ballot again. He’s reported to be considering entering the 2012 presidential race. When asked which ticket he would run on, Greene replied, “either Democratic, Republican or Independent.”