Koch-backed group announces more Statehouse endorsements

Scene from the South Carolina House of Representatives chamber on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. (Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)

There are now a dozen Republicans backed by a billionaire-funded conservative network to win or get re-elected to the Statehouse.

This year is the first that Americans for Prosperity, the political advocacy group founded in 2004 by libertarian billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, has endorsed candidates in the Palmetto State Legislature.  Since the first endorsements were announced in April, the group has announced seven more, including three Wednesday.

They include Sen. Tom Davis, chairman of the Senate’s business committee, and five incumbent Republicans in the House: Reps. Cal Forrest, Randy Ligon, Brandon Newton, Carla Schuessler and Fawn Pedalino. Two of those — Davis and Pedalino — don’t have a GOP opponent in June.

Just one of the endorsements is a non-incumbent: Blake Sanders, the mayor of West Pelzer, is in a three-way primary for an open House seat.

“South Carolina needs more conservative voices in office to empower parents, cut taxes and regulations, and unleash access to health care,” Candace Carroll, AFP’s state director, said in a statement Wednesday. “As the state’s leading grassroots operation, we’re putting our weight behind these leaders because we know their values are South Carolina values.”

That support already includes door knocking and digital and mailed advertising in most of the districts with an endorsed candidate, according to an AFP spokesperson Wednesday.

AFP rates lawmakers annually on the organization’s policy priorities, which included last year’s repeal of the regulatory Certificate of Need permission process that hospitals need to build or expand, occupational licensing reform and open enrollment for public schools.

The organization is also advocates for legislation providing taxpayer-funded scholarships for private K-12 tuition. The Legislature approved the first such scholarship program last year. A proposal greatly expanding the fledging, limited program to so-called “universal” private school choice passed the House but went nowhere in the Senate.

Incumbents facing a primary challenge

• For District 39, covering most of Saluda and part of Lexington counties: Rep. Cal Forrest, R-Monetta, first elected in 2016, faces a primary challenge from Katie Hall of Saluda. The endorsement praised Forrest for his work on the certificate of need repeal and on private school choice.

• For District 43, covering most of Chester and part of York counties: Rep. Randy Ligon, R-Chester, first elected in 2018, faces Elias Irizarry of Rock Hill in the GOP primary. The Citadel cadet was sentenced last year to 14 days in jail for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The endorsement highlighted Ligon’s work on the K-12 private scholarships and professional licensing reform.

• For District 45, covering much of Kershaw and Lancaster counties: Rep. Brandon Newton, R-Lancaster, first elected in 2016, is being challenged by former Rep. Vic Dabney of Camden. Dabney was elected to a different district in 2020 before the post-census redrawing of lines and was ousted in the 2022 primaries. The endorsement highlighted Newton’s work on school choice and certificate of need repeal.

• For District 61, covering a portion of Horry County: Rep. Carla Schuessler, R-Myrtle Beach. Schuessler is a freshman running for a second term. She is being challenged by two Republicans:  Retired high school teacher Shannon Grady and businessman Patrick Herrmann, both of Myrtle Beach. AFP highlighted her work on vouchers.

Incumbents not facing a primary challenge

Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, represents parts of Beaufort and Jasper counties. First elected to the Senate in 2008, he is chairman of the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee. He received a better-than-perfect score of 106 on AFP’s 2023 legislative report card because he was the lead sponsor of some of the legislation they were watching. He will face a Democrat in November but does not have any Republican opposition.

Rep. Fawn Pedalino, R-Turbeville, represents District 64 covering all of Clarendon County and part of Sumter County. The freshman is seeking a second term in a seat she flipped red two years ago. Her Republican primary opponent withdrew from the race. She will face the winner of a two-way Democratic primary. AFP in the endorsement praised her support for the voucher program.

Non-incumbent endorsement

Blake Sanders, a landscape architect and mayor of West Pelzer, is running for the Anderson County seat currently held by retiring Rep. Anne Thayer of Belton.

He is facing attorney James Galyean and Rick Bradshaw, a longtime member of the Anderson District 5 School Board. Galyean and Bradshaw both live in Anderson. In the endorsement, AFP said that Sanders supports lowering taxes and increasing parental control in education.

Past endorsements

The first endorsements in April included Sen. Katrina Shealy, Rep. Jason Elliott who is seeking an open Senate seat, and Sarah Curran who is running to replace the departing House Freedom Caucus Chairman Adam Morgan. They also included House Speaker Murrell Smith, who has no opponent whatsoever, and Sen. Wes Climer, who has a third-party challenger.

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