Hodges entered the 1998 gubernatorial election in South Carolina an underdog but took advantage of controversy and missteps by incumbent Republican governor David Beasley, namely Beasley's indecisiveness on allowing a Confederate flag to fly at the state capitol and call to eliminate video poker [REF].
Public education was a major focus in the Hodges administration, as Hodges oversaw the founding of the South Carolina Education Lottery and the First Steps preschool initiative.