Trio battle for ‘non-traditional’ lane in SC gov’s race. Will 1 make GOP runoff?
On Thursday, four Republican hopefuls for S.C. governor are set to speak at a Columbia Chamber of Commerce forum featuring candidates for the state’s chief executive.
It’s like the countless number of candidate forums hopefuls have spoken — and will speak — at this cycle. Sometimes they’re on stage together, sometimes they speak to a moderator one-on-one. But ever since his entry into the race for governor March 16, Isle of Palms businessman Rom Reddy has kept his own event schedule. On Thursday, Reddy will hold a rally at Liberty on the Lake in Irmo.
The only time he has publicly appeared with other candidates was the April 21 debate in Charleston.
It’s part of Reddy’s effort to portray himself as an anti-establishment candidate, a lane he appears to be fighting for against U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman in the Republican primary.
Whoever voters view as the most non-traditional Republican candidate, most willing to regularly buck other party leaders, may find themselves with one of the two spots in the expected June 23 runoff, especially in a race where there’s no clear runaway frontrunner.
Most candidates in the race for the GOP nomination have similar policy goals, but differ on style.
Being anti-establishment can be advantageous. Former Gov. Nikki Haley was at times at odds with Republican House leadership before her run for the governor’s mansion. She also ended up being backed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who had become one of the faces of the Tea Party movement.
Most of the recent polling shows at least one of the candidates appearing to fight for that non-traditional moniker is in the top two.
An internal poll from the Mace campaign conducted between March 9-11 had her in the lead, with Attorney General Alan Wilson in second place. A Quantas Insight Poll conducted March 10 and 11 had Mace and Wilson tied for first. A Co/Efficient poll, conducted March 26 and 27, had Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the lead with Mace in second.
A poll conducted between April 8-14 by Starboard Communications had Wilson in the lead with Norman in second place. It also found Wilson and Evette lead among respondents who describe themselves as “traditional” Republicans. Mace and Norman performed better among those who considered themselves “Trump” Republicans or “Evangelical” Republicans.
Reddy goes after ‘political ruling class’
In the April 21 debate, Reddy used the phrase “political ruling class” in almost every one of his responses.
Reddy, who is engaged in a long fight against the state Department of Environmental Services over whether he can keep a seawall up on his beachfront property, started DOGE SC before he jumped into the governor’s race.
When he jumped in, he said he would not take contributions to his campaign and wouldn’t seek endorsements.
“We’re a red state run like a blue state, and no outcome, so how can you sit up there with all this B.S.?” Reddy said to reporters after the April 21 debate. “It’s all talking points. What have these guys done?”
Soon after the debate, Reddy went on the attack against Norman and Mace launching a website calling them career politicians with no accomplishments in office. Reddy also released a 15-second ad criticizing Norman’s calls for term limits as he spent 10 years in the State House and has been in Congress for since 2017.
Reddy has chosen to stay away from the circuit of organized forums organized by lobbying organizations or local Republican parties.
“I am not for the elitists. These forums (are) all the donors and the elitists. I have my rallies,” Reddy said. “My people are the voiceless citizens, the people who don’t have a voice, the people who don’t donate money, the people who don’t go out there and ask for favors.”
Norman and the Freedom Caucus
Norman has portrayed himself as someone who is going up against traditional Republicans.
He is a member of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus in Congress, and helped start the SC State House Freedom Caucus, which has been at odds with GOP House leadership.
Norman also has the backing of most members of the Freedom Caucus members in South Carolina. He’s appeared at a Freedom Friday gathering at Momma Rabbits Nibbles and Sips in Lexington, a monthly gathering put together by organizers who have been critical of state Republican Party leadership.
He has been calling for term limits and popular election of judges, and often uses the term RINOs, for Republicans in Name Only, to describe or be critical of elected officials in a state where the GOP holds supermajorities in both legislative chambers.
“It’s us versus them,” Norman says in a recent television ad.
In recent weeks, he has been critical of elected officials pushing to raise state lawmaker pay.
“I’m not a career politician, I’m not a lawyer, I’m a businessman. And to affect change, you cannot be a part of the system. I’m not part of the system,” Norman said at a Midlands GOP stump event Saturday, which was organized by the Richland and Lexington Republican parties.
Mace battles in DC, with SC GOP
Mace, a three-term member of Congress, has not been afraid to buck her party at times.
She pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and was one of four Republicans to sign a discharge petition in order to force a vote on the House floor.
Mace was one of eight Republican members who voted to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. She also recently called for the release of sexual harassment records in Congress.
During her campaign she has spoken out against the state’s judicial system pointing to those she calls corrupt.
“When you stop playing the game, they come for you,” Mace recently posted about her efforts to release records of sexual harassment in Congress. “Taxpayer money, your money, used to silence victims of congressional misconduct. I subpoenaed the records … Now I’m leading the race for governor of South Carolina, and the attacks are coming harder and faster.”
Mace also accused the state Republican Party of working to keep her off the debate stage because the second debate was scheduled during a day the U.S. House was scheduled to be in session.
Mace also shot back against the party establishment after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster formally endorsed Evette’s campaign.
“I didn’t get into this race to collect endorsements. I got in to keep a promise to the people of South Carolina,” Mace said. “And here’s what the establishment still hasn’t figured out: I don’t stop. I don’t waver. And I certainly don’t scare.”
