Though his victory has baffled many, several explanations have been offered. Some observers, including State Representative Bakari Sellers, have stated that the fact that his name appeared above Vic Rawl may have caused voters who were unfamiliar with either candidate to vote for Greene.[21] South Carolina State Senator Robert Ford claimed that the surname "Greene" is common among African Americans, and suggested that fact may have caused African American voters to identify with him.[21] There has also been speculation that voters may have confused the candidate with soul singer Al Green, whose real name is Albert Greene. [22]
Journalists and politicians have theorized that Greene might be a Republican plant. South Carolina Democratic party officials have noted that in 1990 a political consultant recruited an African-American challenger to run against white front-runners in South Carolina's Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in an effort to undermine their election prospects. The possibility has also been raised that Greene was put up by non-partisan political consultants that were bored. Nu Wexler, the former executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party, commented "You have consultants doing this kind of thing just because they get bored, and they want something to tell good stories about. It's almost like fraternity pranks."[23]
