The election for governor comes down to one word - Freedom

I am fighting for you to keep what you have and not take anything away. That may be the simplest contrast between me and my opponent, Governor McMaster.

That is the heart of our campaign - more freedom. As we close this election season, I want to bring to light exactly what is at stake so voters can have a clear understanding of their choices.

You work hard for your money and I believe you should keep more of it. Under our current governor’s four decade tenure in politics, South Carolina now has the highest income tax rate in the entire southeast. I want to eliminate the state income tax entirely so our small and medium-sized businesses can grow and you can have more money in our pockets. It is the future model of our country and if we do not lead on this, then we are destined to continue falling behind our neighboring states. We can do this in a responsible manner through new streams of revenue by legalizing marijuana and sports betting, cutting the fat out of our state budget and ending the corporate handouts our Governor has used to bribe businesses to move here.

You should retain your freedom to control your own body. Whether that is rejecting our Governor’s draconian position that there should be an abortion ban with no exceptions or federal vaccine mandates, it is your body and politicians telling you what to do is the most egregious form of government overreach that exists.

And as Americans, if we truly value our freedom, we have to respect those who have fought so hard to protect it. It’s why I want to legalize marijuana and give our veterans who return home from wars - oftentimes with scars we can not always see - an alternative to dangerous and addictive opioids to treat their ailments. It can also be a productive source of revenue we can use to address some of our state’s challenges like repairing our roads (we are currently dead last in the country in roads) or increase teacher pay and end the teacher shortage crisis. The same goes with sports betting. Since it is occurring anyways, the state might as well regulate and tax it and use that revenue for a good cause while allowing our residents to enjoy more freedom.

In our debate last week, Governor McMaster expressed his support for bringing back the ban on same-sex marriage. People may still have differing opinions and firmly held beliefs, but in 2022 it is not the role of the governor - or government - to inject itself into the bedroom or doctor’s office of a private citizen. If the Government is allowed to broach the threshold of these doors, what could the government not do?

Thus, we return to freedom. And the question to ponder is if you want more of it or less.

As a father to a 4 year old, I’m gravely concerned about the state we will be turning over to the next generation. Each of us have a solemn duty to that next generation to at least preserve the positives of this great state and expand upon them, if possible. But at the very least, do not allow us to move backwards. Our current governor has had nearly half a century to move our state forward. With all due respect to him, that is more than ample time. It’s time for a new generation of leadership to bring our state out of the past and lead us into the future. And that’s exactly what I’ll do as governor.

Joe Cunningham is a former Congressman and the Democratic candidate for governor.

This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 2:14 PM.