GOP candidate targets 'sanctuary cities,' 'violent gangs' in new ad

Sanctuary cities are popping up as an issue in South Carolina's governor's race.

GOP candidate John Warren unveiled his first statewide ad on Tuesday, promising to make South Carolina "stronger and safer."

"He’ll prevent sanctuary cities, have police target violent gangs, and he’ll protect innocent life from the point of conception," the ad says as images play of Warren talking to sheriff's deputies and kissing a sleeping baby.

South Carolina has no sanctuary cities — local governments that refuse to coordinate with federal immigration enforcement officers.

But Warren isn't the first S.C. gubernatorial candidate to bring the issue up.

Gov. Henry McMaster, a Richland Republican, has proposed legislation to cut state funding to any city or county in South Carolina that doesn't prove to the state that its local law enforcement is cooperating with federal immigration agents.

Warren's ad also highlights his service as a Marine and calls him a "Christian leader."

This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 3:41 PM with the headline "GOP candidate targets 'sanctuary cities,' 'violent gangs' in new ad."