STATEHOUSE REPORT | ISSUE 21.23 | JUNE 10, 2022
BIG STORY: Voters head to the primary polls Tuesday
LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: Big gulp
COMMENTARY, Brack: Let’s review American exceptionalism
SPOTLIGHT: S.C. Senate Democratic Caucus
FEEDBACK: Send us your comments
EDITOR’S NOTE: This issue of Statehouse Report is shorter than usual due to travel.
Voters head to the primary polls Tuesday
By Skyler Baldwin | State and local elections are right around the corner with two political primaries kicking off Tuesday. But just in case you haven’t been keeping up with the campaigns for the last year, you can get updated here.
With one U.S. Senate seat and seven U.S. House seats up for grabs, along with several state House positions and local seats on the ballot, here’s a one-stop shop for voters ahead of the polls’ opening on Tuesday.
Big elections to watch
Governor: The governor’s race is packed this year, though most analysts are predicting an easy win for Republican incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster in next week’s primary. Harrison “Trucker Bob” Musselwhite has been a name to watch as an active leader of the state’s MAGA movement. On the other side of the aisle, former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham and S.C. Sen. Mia McLeod are the top picks for the Democratic primary, but won’t be the only names on the ballot.
The full rundown:
- Democrats: Carlton Boyd, Joe Cunningham, Mia McLeod Calvin CJ Mack McMillan and William H. Williams.
- Republicans: Henry McMaster (incumbent), Harrison Musselwhite and Mindy L. Steele (Republican)
State superintendent of education: Republican frontrunners are Kathy Maness, who is the executive director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association, and Ellen Weaver, who has collected endorsements from high-profile Republicans. But she has no formal background in education and does not yet meet the requirement of holding a master’s degree to serve in the office. Weaver, a past aide of the former GOP U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, promises she will have the degree by election time by way of an online degree in educational leadership from Bob Jones University. Both Republican frontrunners have been vocal supporters of school choice. Democratic candidates include former Anderson County School Board member and educator Gary Burgess (who has run twice for the seat as a Republican), career educator Lisa Ellis and S.C. Rep. Jerry Govan. The full rundown of candidates on ballots:
- Democrats: Gary L. Burges, Lisa Ellis and S.C. Rep. Jerry Govan.
- Republicans: Travis Bedson, Bryan Chapman, Cindy Coats, Sheri Few, Kizzi Gibson, Lynda Leventis-Wells and Kathy Maness.
U.S. House, district 1: U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Charleston, is seeking reelection in what has become the most high-profile congressional primaries this election cycle. She is being opposed by Katie Arrington, who has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Mace, however, has the backing of former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley. Arrington won the GOP nomination in 2018 only to lose the general election to Cunningham, who flipped the seat for the first time in 32 years. Mace beat Cunningham in 2020. Former Republican candidate Lynz Piper Loomis dropped out of the race at a recent debate, throwing Arrington her endorsement.
Other U.S. House seats: All of the state’s other incumbents are expected to make it through their primaries, with the possible exception of GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, who represents the Pee Dee and Grand Strand and who was one of the few Republican votes to impeach Trump. He’s being challenged by six Republicans, including S.C. Rep. Russell Fry.
U.S. Senate: U.S. Sen. Tim Scott is up for reelection with a clear path to nomination with no Republican challengers. Three Democrats, however, have lined up to take their shot at the Republican incumbent: Catherine Fleming Bruce, Angela Geter and S.C. Rep. Krystle Matthews.
Other statewide primary elections
Secretary of State
- Republicans: Keith Blandford and Mark Hammond (incumbent).
Attorney General
- Republicans: Lauren Martel and Alan Wilson (incumbent).
Agriculture Commissioner
- Republicans: Bill Bledsoe, Rob Rozier and Hugh Weathers (incumbent).
- Skyler Baldwin is a reporter for the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Big gulp
Cartoonist Robert Ariail often interprets things a little differently, but always has an interesting take on what’s going on in South Carolina. Love the cartoon? Hate it? What do you think: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Let’s review American exceptionalism
By Andy Brack | There’s been reflection of late across America, with its dysfunctional government and raging political debates over everything from gun violence and abortion to the foundations of power, that the notion of American exceptionalism is waning. Here are some thoughts from seven years ago that still apply today:
Walking along the River Seine flanked by grand palaces and magnificent French Empire buildings, it’s easy to think of how the French once ruled the world and captured riches galore. Just like the sun once never set on the British Empire. Or how the Spanish conquered the Americas and enriched themselves with gold. Or how the Dutch discovered places never dreamed of in days long gone by.
These days, it’s clear the influence of these European countries has peaked on the world stage, although they are far from inconsequential and their people generally live in societies with outstanding qualities of life.
But there’s a palpable tension these days between political, historical and daily realities that causes one to pause when thinking about America and her future. Is what happened in France, Great Britain and other former world powerhouses the future path for our country? Is the notion of American exceptionalism waning?
Interestingly enough, a Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, coined the notion that there was something special about the United States. In his Democracy in America, published in two installments after an 1830s trip across the then-expanding country, de Tocqueville noted:
“… [I]t may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one. Their strictly Puritanical origin, their exclusively commercial habits, even the country they inhabit, which seems to divert their minds from the pursuit of science, literature, and the arts, the proximity of Europe, which allows them to neglect these pursuits without relapsing into barbarism, a thousand special causes, of which I have only been able to point out the most important, have singularly concurred to fix the mind of the American upon purely practical objects.”
Often cited as components of American exceptionalism are the country’s vast natural resources and its revolutionary history of creating a democratic republic that still inspires freedom in people in countries across the world. American innovation and her zeal for knowledge led to great inventions and wealth. There’s a sense throughout the country that Americans have a destiny of freedom peppered with the fruits of capitalism to continue to fulfill. And then there’s the sheer firepower of the United States, which has the mightiest armed forces in the world and a big place at the tables of diplomacy as the world encounters one international crisis after another.
But with all of America’s exceptional qualities, there’s also a feeling for some that America’s time of preeminence is in danger of passing, perhaps to Asian tigers like China. There’s a notion now that politicians and other leaders aren’t doing enough to secure the nation’s premier place in the world. Republicans and Democrats bicker worse than ever before. They moan. They groan. They seem unable — or are just inept — to find common ground and get real things done to make differences in people’s lives, whether in Washington or Columbia.
For example, where in Washington is the bipartisan commitment to do something against the gun violence that slashes through the country on a daily basis? Where in Columbia is a vigorous team approach to do something more than talk about improving education so tomorrow’s leaders in the Palmetto State will have the intellectual framework to continue to be the innovators of the future?
Let’s demand this of our leaders of all stripes: Tell us in specific detail how they’ll continue to ensure that America remains exceptional — and doesn’t go the way of France, Great Britain or Spain on the world stage. Then get to work.
Andy Brack is publisher of the Charleston City Paper and editor and publisher of Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
S.C. Senate Democratic Caucus
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Statehouse Report to you at no cost. This week’s spotlighted underwriter is the S.C. Senate Democratic Caucus. Organized almost 25 years ago, the Caucus has played an important role in many of the historic issues facing our state. As a vibrant minority party in the Senate, its role is to represent our constituents and present viable alternatives on critical issues. The S.C. Senate Democratic Caucus remains a unique place for this to occur in our policy process.
- Learn more about the Caucus at: www.scsenatedems.org
Send us your comments
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Back soon
The Mystery Photo is a mystery this week. It will reappear in July.
>> Send us a mystery picture. 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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