US Senate hopeful Krystle Matthews adds campaign co-chairs in bid against SC’s Scott
Democratic state Rep. Krystle Matthews named three new campaign co-chairs, who include two state lawmakers, Tuesday in her bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Tim Scott next year.
Matthews, a second term state representative whose district includes parts of Berkeley and Charleston counties, announced state Reps. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, and Jermaine Johnson, D-Richland, and former state Senate candidate Sam Skardon of Charleston to act as advisors on her campaign.
Her announcements coincided with the opening of her campaign office on Two Notch Road in Columbia.
“They’re all different and unique in their perspective in the way they kind of deal with politics and the way they look at policy,” Matthews told The State. “I felt like it was important for me to have that balance on my campaign because I preach balance. It’s something that is a part of who I am, embedded in who I am as a mother, as a woman, as an individual, and I feel like they all bring a different element and a different perspective to the table.”
Matthews faces a tough hill to climb running against Scott in the reliably Republican state, which U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham won by 10 percentage points and former president Donald Trump carried by 12 percentage points in 2020.
Scott also has outraised her in the fundraising race, with $14.4 million cash on hand to Matthews’ roughly $7,400, as of June 30.
At Matthews’ campaign office, Johnson, a freshman who unseated a longtime incumbent last year, said he sees himself helping Matthews with strategic development. But he acknowledged a lot needs to “go right” for Matthews to win.
“For us to do what we need to do is (for us) to stick to the script and stick to what we’re doing, what we know best, and that’s reaching out to communities who feel left out,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of communities out there that feel left out, that feel unheard, and we’re going to continue doing what we’ve been doing which is reaching out to those marginalized communities that need representation.“
But Matthews kept confident her bid will do well, saying she believes people will invest in her campaign.
“We’re already gaining momentum,” Matthews said. “We’re doing it donation by donation, person by person, we’re getting out ... touching the people and helping them see that this is an investment on their return for what’s going to come after this campaign. The goal here is not to compete (on) money, right. The goal here is to make sure we’re touching the people.”
