STATEHOUSE REPORT | ISSUE 20.28 | JULY 9, 2021
BIG STORY: McMaster may face opposition from two sides
MORE NEWS: Governor says federa court ‘overstepped’ on halting abortion ban
LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: Heard impunity
COMMENTARY, Brack: Big pay hikes in Columbia leave a stench
SPOTLIGHT: S.C. Education Association
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Rear view
McMaster may face opposition from two sides
By Al Dozier, special to Statehouse Report | S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster is seeking reelection in 2022 but is expected to face strong opposition from Democrats and perhaps from his own Republican Party.
A lot of eyes are on Republican John Warren, an Upstate businessman and political newcomer who has not held elective office but was able to secure a runoff four years ago against McMaster.
McMaster, then running for his first full term after ascending to the office when Gov. Nikki Haley left to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, won the primary runoff, but not by much. He received 54 percent of the vote.
The Republican field
Will Warren run again?
“He has not decided yet,” said a Warren spokesman.
Warren is the former owner of Lima One Capital, a successful mortgage finance company based in Greenville. In 2018, ran against four other Republicans to secure the runoff against McMaster. In 2018 in a five-way primary, Warren qualified for a runoff by securing 27.8 percent of the vote, coming in second to Mcmaster’s 42.3 percent. Other GOP candidates included then-current Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant of Anderson, former Lt. Gov. Yancey McGill of Kingstree and former agency head Catherine Templeton of Mount Pleasant.
Last year, Warren started South Carolina’s Conservative Future, a political action committee (PAC) to help financially boost Republican candidates. He also has used the PAC to urge the legislature to adopt stricter abortion measures and to elect conservative judges.
Warren recently launched a new initiative labeled “Accountability for Taxpayers” and delivered a slew of attacks on the current administration.
“We promised to expose problems created by the career politicians in Columbia – specifically wasteful spending and corruption,” he said in a post. “Unfortunately for the people of South Carolina, there are more examples than we could possibly count, but first up on the list: South Carolina’s 2021-2022 budget.”
Despite the state having a $1.7 billion surplus this year, taxpayers are getting nothing in tax relief, Warren said. Instead, “politicians have used our money to help themselves to a pork spending buffet.” Examples he listed include: $5 million, for an opera house; $200,000 for a food and wine festival; $550,000 for an art park project; and $250,000 for a tennis center.
While Warren is the most talked-about potential GOP challenger for McMaster, legislative sources also point to possibilities that other candidates from the right might take on McMaster in the 2022 primary, including Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, Templeton or a right-wing activist affiliated with former President Donald Trump — particularly since the Greenville and Charleston county Republican parties are in disarray due to internal strife.
The Democratic field
Even if McMaster makes it unscathed through the GOP primary, three Democrats have already announced for the race, which could prove difficult for a state dominated by GOP voters.
No Democrat has been elected governor in South Carolina in more than 20 years. All statewide offices, most of the congressional delegation and majorities in both state legislative chambers are held by Republicans.
But two high-profile candidates say they are up for the challenge.
If elected, Sen. Mia McLeod, D-Columbia, would be the first African-American woman to hold the office in South Carolina, a feat that could turn out more Democratic voters.
She was first elected to the state House in 2010 and then to the Senate in 2016,. She servesDistrict 22, which includes parts of Kershaw and Richland counties.
McLeod didn’t mince words when she gave the Democrats’ response to McMaster’s 2021 State of the State address. She called McMaster’s effort to manage the state’s COVID-19 outbreak a “colossal failure.”
While Democrats have not had much success with the governor’s race over the last several years, McLeod said she is ready.
“I’ve been fighting the status quo for 10 years, and I’m still fighting, taking on the fights no one else will, even when I fight alone.” McLeod told her supporters during her announcement..
Another nother Democratic fighter in the race is Joe Cunningham, a former congressman from Charleston who has already proven he can win election in a deep-red state.
In his 2018 run for Congress he won a Republican seat held previously by former Gov. Mark Sanford. Cunningham is ignoring naysayers who say a Democrat can’t win a statewide race.
“We’ve heard that before,” Cunningham said in his announcement.”In 2018, thanks to many of you, I flipped a congressional district that had not voted for a Democrat in 40 years. The district that Donald Trump won by 13 percentage points, on election night in 2018, the experts gave us a 9 percent, not 90 percent chance at winning. But we won then and we’re going to do it again.”
But two years later, with the help of the presidential election in November 2020, former state GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of Daniel Island, defeated Cunningham to win the seat back for Republicans by fewer than 6,000 votes.
Democratic activist Gary Votour of Columbia, who describes himself as a health care and social justice activist, has also entered the race. He is relatively unknown in South Carolina politics.
McMaster’s campaign
McMaster won his first full term, defeating Democratic challenger James Smith by about 8 percentage points.
McMaster’s website boasts about a strong and vibrant South Carolina economy under his leadership, with 45,000 new jobs and more than $13.5 billion in new capital investment in the state.
McMaster says the state has made transformative investments in the classroom by expanding full day 4-year-old kindergarten, raising K-12 teacher pay and placing a school resource officer in every school. He says colleges and universities are becoming more accessible and affordable due to his tuition freeze and by his doubling of funding for needs-based financial aid for in-state students.
Al Dozier is a veteran South Carolina reporter who lives in Columbia.
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Governor says court ‘overstepped’ on halting abortion ban
Staff reports | South Carolina’s new law to halt abortions where a fetal heartbeat is detected was halted earlier this year by a federal court as a lawsuit unfurls. But Gov. Henry McMaster this week filed a brief with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking appellate judges to lift a lower court’s injunction on the “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act” signed earlier this year. More: AP News | Spartanburg Herald-Journal | The State
In other recent news:
Commission OKs raises for five state agency heads. The Agency Head Salary Commission has approved a 48 percent raise for the executive director of Office of Regulatory Staff, a 27 percent raise for the executive director of the Department of Administration, a 25 percent raise for the director of the Department of Corrections, a 22 percent raise for the executive director of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, and a 19 percent raise for the Secretary of Transportation. Each now makes more than $200,000 a year. More: AP News | The State
Cunningham breaks fundraising record in governor’s race. Former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham says he has raised more than a half-million dollars in the first two months of hise gubernatorial race. More. WCSC TV
S.C. lawmakers spending millions on parks, outdoor play spaces. South Carolina taxpayers are funding a number of outdoor recreation projects through the state budget, like ballfields for students with disabilities, city greenways and more. More: The Post and Courier
Greenville GOP in disarray. Top officials at the Greenville Republican Party have abruptly resigned after months of tension. The leadership void creates opportunities for activists who support former President Donald Trump. More: The Post and Courier | Greenville News
Dueling rallies planned on anniversary of Confederate flag removal. Two rallies are planned for the S.C. State House on Saturday to mark the six-year anniversary of the removal of the Confederate flag from the State House grounds. More: The State.
Clyburn introduces bill to protect Revolutionary War sites. U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., recently introduced a bill seeking $10 million in federal funds to protect Revolutionary War sites throughout the Carolinas. More: WCBD TV
Elsa hits state, but damage is minimal. Tropical Storm Elsa tore through South Carolina, causing power outages, a few downed trees and a deluge that left several inches of water pooled in low-lying areas. The storm brought up to four inches of rain from the Midlands to the Lowcountry. More: The Post and Courier | Charleston City Paper.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Heard impunity
Cartoonist Robert Ariail always has an interesting take on what’s going on in South Carolina. His weekly “Lowcountry” strip is originally drawn for our sister publication, the Charleston City Paper. Love the cartoon? Hate it? What do you think: feedback@statehousereport.com. Check out the Best of Charleston 2021.
Big pay hikes in Columbia leave a stench
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | South Carolina’s governor earns $106,078 a year, making him the 3,248th (*) highest paid state employee as of April.
* (Of course there’s a caveat in South Carolina. The S.C. Department of Administration’s salary search portal of the 23,328 state employees who earn more than $50,000 does not include people who work at several agencies, such as the legislature, the courts, Santee Cooper and the S.C. State Ports Authority. And we know some of those folks earn money by the bucket.)
Among those who earn far more than Gov. Henry McMaster, who is simply designated as an “agency head,” are football coaches, university administrators, college professors and hundreds of other agency leaders. Even in the governor’s office, four people are paid more than the statewide elected head of the executive branch, including the governor’s chief of staff ($193,545), chief legal counsel ($139, 528), deputy chief of staff ($128,484) and senior education adviser ($120,000).
This week, we learned five agency heads who already earned far more than the average state employee and average family in South Carolina got raises that can best be described as obscene. These agency directors included:
- S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff Executive Director Nanette Edwards, who now earns $265,000 a year (a 48 percent raise);
- S.C. Department of Administration Executive Director Marcia Adams, $284,679 (a 27 percent raise);
- S.C. Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling, $250,000 (a 25 percent raise);
- State Fiscal Accountability Authority Executive Director Grant Gillespie, $245,000 (a 22 percent raise); and
- S.C. Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall, $298,000 (a 19 percent raise). A little over a year ago, Hall got a 32 percent raise, according to news reports.
“Unfortunately we have been behind the curve on salaries in South Carolina,” House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, told a reporter. “It’s difficult to hire and retain talent.”
Lord, have mercy. I bet that for the amount of the unadjusted salaries, the state could find more than enough highly qualified alternative leaders who would jump at the jobs.
The folks who voted for the raise are on the state Agency Head Salary Commission, a panel made of four House members, four senators and three people appointed by the governor. The panel includes three Democratic legislators and five Republicans.
The only person voting against the raises was Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, who suggested raises could be spread out over three years as the increases were more than the annual pay of some employees.
“It’s not the people,” Peeler said. “We have great people. They’ve earned their pay, but it’s just the numbers. It’s hard for me to justify this time.”
Yep, he’s right on target. In a time when the vast majority of state employees earn less than $50,000 and who get small raises every few years, it’s hard to feel comfortable about any individual five-figure raise. Furthermore, it just doesn’t look good. After state employees busted their butts during the pandemic, these raises seem like a slap in the face.
The agency head pay hikes predictably raised the ire of the state Democratic Party, with Chairman Trav Robertson one day calling for McMaster to explain why his appointees deserved big raises. The next day, Robertson turned it up a notch, calling on the governor to direct them to refuse the pay increases. Like that will happen.
He also called on the state to double the minimum wage paid to many state workers to $15 per hour: “The work our state employees do is imperative to the success and health of our state, these administrators included, but to have their pay raised so dramatically while many of their subordinates make poverty wages is bad form and stinks of corruption.”
He’s right about one thing: The whole mess reeks.
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S.C. Education Association
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Statehouse Report to you at no cost. This week’s spotlighted underwriter is The South Carolina Education Association(The SCEA), the professional association for educators in South Carolina. Educators from pre-K to 12th grade comprise The SCEA. The SCEA is the leading advocate for educational change in South Carolina. Educators in South Carolina look to The SCEA for assistance in every aspect of their professional life. From career planning as a student to retirement assessment as a career teacher, The SCEA offers assistance, guidance, and inspiration for educators.
- Learn more: TheSCEA.org
Thanks for Declaration challenge
To the editor:
My husband and I are driving from New York to Florida. One of our sleepstops was in Florence, S.C. Upon our hotel exit, my husband picked up the local paper, “Morning News,” which I’ve been reading to him while he drives.
I appreciate your article; the conversation about the insurgent and antithetic event on our Capitol in the context of our country’s origins and “Declaration of Independence”; and your “weekend challenge.” I think that challenge is a fantastic idea and should be a viral Facebook challenge.
We will be visiting my son in Georgia, who is presently stationed at Fort Stewart. My hope is we can read it all together. Thank you for not talking pork bellies and shifting the focus to a valuable message; a reminder of the significance July 4, 2021, that needs to mark, commemorate and celebrate.
— Anne Weprin, New York, N.Y.
Make medical marijuana legal
To the editor:
I believe medical marijjuana needs to be legal and available to people who can benefit from it. I have glaucoma and must use messy, inconvenient and expensive eye drops daily to control the pressure in my eyes. If marijuana can control my condition better, I’d toke a joint every day.
— Elizabeth Jones, Columbia, S.C.
Send us your thoughts. We receive a few comments a week and look forward to publishing. But often we can’t because we can’t verify the identity of the writer. To be published, you’ve got to provide us with contact information so we can verify your letters. Verified letters to the editor are published weekly. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Comments are limited to 250 words or less. Please include your name and contact information.
- Send your letters or comments to: feedback@statehousereport.com
Rear view
A reader sent in this rear view of a church and what apparently is a companion pump house. Where is it? Send your guess to feedback@statehousereport.com — and remember to include your name, home city and contact information.
Last week’s mystery, “Different kind of mystery,” showed a bus in Charleston advertising for a marijuana study when marijuana is illegal in South Carolina. We asked what you thought, which apparently confused most readers as there wasn’t anything to identify. We got a few comments explaining what the study was, which isn’t what we were seeking. Instead, we got a lot more radio silence from regular guessers. From now on, we’ll stick to regular mystery pictures.
- Send us a mystery. If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
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