After sweep through SC’s Pee Dee, Kamala Harris scores endorsements
Editor’s note: The list of endorsements in this article has been updated. Georgetown Planning Commission Code Enforcer Tracy Gibson contacted The State and asked to be removed from the list. She confirmed that with the Harris campaign, according to campaign officials.
After breaking ground in the Pee Dee, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris is reaping the rewards.
The 2020 presidential hopeful’s campaign announced seven new South Carolina endorsements Tuesday morning, a little more than a week after her trip to Hartsville, Florence and Myrtle Beach, according to a statement from the campaign.
Brendon Barber, the mayor of Georgetown, endorsed the California Democrat after the visit.
“I’m proud to endorse Kamala Harris for President,” Barber said, according to the statement. “She visited the Pee-Dee region very early in her campaign because she wanted to hear from working people and address their concerns at a human level. I support Kamala Harris because she is determined to bring down the cost of pharmaceutical drugs, increase teachers’ pay, expand homeownership, and bring the country together as a united front.”
Harris also scored endorsements from Former Florence City Councilman Billy D. Williams, Marion Councilwoman Tassie Lewis, Marion County NAACP President Rev. Marvin Hemingway, Marion County NAACP Education Chair George Gause and Dr. Bennie T. Davis, the pastor of Greater Christ Temple Ministries in Marion.
The endorsements are accompanied by the release of a new plan to tackle pharmaceutical costs, which would allow government officials to set a fair price for prescription drugs and tax companies that sell over that price. The plan also includes ending tax loopholes for pharmaceutical companies.
Williams voiced support for the plan in his endorsement.
“Kamala Harris has put forward an agenda that speaks directly to the concerns that keep South Carolinians up at night,” Williams said, according to the statement. “Her new plan to lower pharmaceutical drug costs showcases her courageous commitment to taking action at a time when too many of our lawmakers remain complacent in Washington. I’ve spent my life in Florence fighting for everyday people and I am certain that as President, Kamala will refocus the priorities of our federal government on working families.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
