When I first ran for the South Carolina District 8 Senate seat, the primary election was held on June 12, 2012. There were five candidates in the Republican race, including myself and the incumbent. On that day, approximately 7,300 votes were cast. In the runoff two weeks later, there were close to 5,500 votes cast. I won the election by 32 votes.

Heading into Tuesday’s primary this week we felt good about our chances, but we were concerned about how the voter turnout would be. When the final votes were cast, over 13,800 people voted in the District 8 Republican primary. What an incredible turnout!

Winning by such an overwhelming margin was very exciting for all of us. Your vote gives me the confidence to keep doing what I have been doing, which is putting the needs of South Carolina first over politics. I do not have an opponent in the general election, and I am proud to be able to represent District 8 for the next four years.

The victory celebration Tuesday night was short-lived. I was back in Columbia on Wednesday for an OpenSC liability subcommittee meeting on possible “Safe Harbor” legislation for reasons arising out of COVID-19. We heard from several associations on both sides of the argument.

The one thing we do understand is that we must find a way to give business owners, churches, and non-profits the confidence that if they are trying to do the right thing, they will be protected from potential lawsuits. We will meet again and hopefully have a bill or resolution for the issue when we go back into session on June 23.

On Thursday morning, we had our meeting of the Senate OpenSC select committee to approve our final report to the President of the Senate. On the money side of the CARES Act, we basically followed the recommendations that came out of the Governor’s accelerateSC committee.

We also decided to distribute the money in phases so that no money is left on the table at the end. The South Carolina Department of Administration has hired an outside third party that specializes in government grants. Their job is to oversee the $1.9 billion dollars to make sure we are transparent and are good stewards of the distribution. To see a copy of the report, click here.

I want to thank all of you that voted for me, whether by absentee or in person on Tuesday. Knowing that I have your support makes it that much easier to do the hard work for you in Columbia.

The next four years are going to bring a lot of opportunity for our state and I look forward to continuing to be a part of it. We have a lot of issues that will need to be addressed, but I would rather be in South Carolina addressing them than anywhere else. We can once again show the nation what “South Carolina Strong” means.

2020 CENSUS

The 2020 census impacts each of us and shapes the future of programs in our state. Census data is used to allocate over $800 billion dollars annually to communities across the country.

Right now, South Carolina is 40th in the nation for census response. Federal funds we receive for schools, roads, and other programs are based on the census numbers.

Wednesday, June 17 has been designated as the Census Day of Action, and the goal is to see that 10,000 South Carolina households complete the census that day. To learn more about how the funds are distributed each year, click here. If you have not completed the 2020 census yet, click here.

YARD SIGNS

If you still have a yard sign, you can save it to display during the general election period in November, drop it by my office, or request for us to pick it up. Thank you!

As always, if you need any help navigating state government, please call me or my assistant, Ja’vell Bynoe, at (803) 212-6148.