Democrats’ hopes for reclaiming the South Carolina governorship this cycle have always been a long shot, given the state’s conservatism. A new poll out from Rasmussen once again confirms that state Senator Tommy Moore (D) faces an uphill battle to Columbia.

Gov. Mark Sanford (R) leads Moore 51 to 39 percent and the poll found that a respectable 67 percent of respondents held a favorable view of Sanford, despite his frequent squabbles with the General Assembly (a supposed campaign issue).

The poll appears to buck the wisdom of state pundits that Sanford’s sub par in the state primary two weeks ago showed that he may be facing electoral problems. The Rasmussen poll found, however, that even among Democrats 48 percent view Sanford favorably.

Here’s the good news for Moore: 51 percent of respondents view him favorably, too. 40 percent of unaffiliated voters do not know enough about him to offer an opinion, suggesting that if Moore reaches these voters his favorability rating may increase. Also, he improved his standing in the Rasmussen poll from 33 percent in May to now 39 percent.

In other SC news, yesterday Sanford visited South Carolina national guardsmen serving in Iraq. He joined Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) and North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven (R).