By Catherine Templeton, special to Statehouse Report | Where I come from, we show up when people need help. I was one of the first people Gov. Nikki Haley asked to help her make it “A Great Day in S.C.” While Gov. Haley was bringing prosperity to South Carolina, I was one of the business people standing behind her backing up what she was selling.
I can’t unsee what I saw in Columbia, but I can undo it. I’m an outsider who has never run for office before, but I stood with Gov. Haley for four years while we fought the Democrats, the liberal media, the entrenched bureaucrats, and the corrupt good ol’ boys. And now I know just enough about how they self-deal and waste our money to be dangerous to the dinosaurs in the swamp.
In fact, the media were so upset with my government reform, they called me the “Buzzsaw.” I fired 100 entrenched bureaucrats, saved $68 million taxpayer dollars, went 3 for 3 against the Obama administration, and fought to bring 7,500 jobs to South Carolina families.
Maybe that was why, when President Trump called me to Trump Tower and considered me for his Secretary of Labor, his team called me a “Triple Threat.” Or maybe it is because I am a mom, a fighter, and I can’t be bought.
We have to pick a new governor next month, or we will suffer a full decade with a politician who has been running for office for 30 years, who we never elected as our governor any of the times he tried. Worse than that, the political consultants he had on his payroll for decades were just indicted on public corruption. South Carolina is one of the most conservative states in the nation and we deserve a governor who acts that way.
Since Gov. Haley left our state to defend our nation, we’ve been at the mercy of Henry McMaster. He has taken almost a billion dollars more from us by signing into law the largest tax increase in modern history (and I’m not talking about the gas tax). He is allowing prisoners to riot, kill, jump the fence, and put us in danger. And he stood by without a whimper when the aggressive Teamsters Union took over a vital port resource, allowing them to shut down South Carolina for business and hurt our jobs at their whim.
We can’t get home because of the traffic, our education system is dead last in the nation, and our law enforcement officers are not given the respect and support they deserve.
When I grew up in South Carolina, people could afford a john boat and a week at the beach. Now, South Carolinians can’t afford groceries – or the light bill.
The corrupt good ol’ boys in Columbia are costing us money, time, and our lives. I won’t back down until we stop them. They watched while I took a buzzsaw to government with Nikki Haley’s support and they will do all they can to make sure I don’t go back to Columbia with a bigger blade.
Put on your safety gear. I want you to show up on June 12 with me and together, let’s Make It a Great Day in S.C. — again.
Attorney Catherine Templeton of Mount Pleasant is a former head of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. More: http://www.catherinetempleton.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Through June 12, Statehouse Report is running opinion pieces by gubernatorial candidates with primary challengers. Five Republicans and three Democratic candidates for governor have been invited to submit messages they want to share with voters.
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