In her long-shot bid to become South Carolina secretary of state, Ginny Deerin is racking up conservative endorsements -- including from the state affiliate of the Club for Growth; the Libertarian Party; and an organization called RINO Hunt, which seeks to root out and replace those squishy politicians it deems "Republican in name only."

None of this would be all that remarkable were it not for the fact that Deerin is a Democrat.

And, in many regards, a liberal one.

She supports abortion rights, and her YouTube channel features a video of her dancing at a gay pride event in Columbia.

"Her social aspect bothers me not a whit," said David Ellison, president of the South Carolina Club for Growth. The group -- which operates independently of the national organization of the same name -- has never before backed a Democrat in a statewide race against a Republican.

Deerin has made an issue of the fact that the 12-year incumbent, Republican Mark Hammond, is commuting 180 miles a day to the job -- and charging the state for his travel expenses.

It is perfectly legal for him to do so -- which is why so many conservatives are angry.

"Mr. Hammond is the poster child for the car perk, logging nearly 23,000 personal miles on his state vehicle last year, for the equivalent of a $3,400 bump-up in his $92,000 state salary. He drove an equal number of miles on official state business," Columbia's newspaper, The State, editorialized in September.

Deerin argues that the office for which she is running should not be on the ballot in the first place, given that it is largely an administrative one. She has promised to work to turn it into a position that is appointed by the governor.

Deerin, 64, is a small businesswoman from South Carolina, and the founder of two non-profits, one to aid at-risk youth, and the other to encourage women to seek political office. "I woke up nine months ago, and decided I really need to walk the talk," she said.

Or to ride it. To tout her own credentials as a fiscal conservative, Deerin is bicycling from Spartanburg, where Hammond lives, to Columbia, where is office is. Behind her bike, she is trailing a giant pair of scissors. She expects to make it to the capital by Monday, "depending on my muscles."