PLEASE NOTE—
- For candidates already in an office, I have been able to check voting records. My comments reflect their voting records over the course of their tenure.
- For those who have never run for office before, and who claim a position, I will state their claim, but understand I have nothing by which to verify that claim.
- Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A photo ID is required to vote in South Carolina.
In this Primary it is extremely important that REPUBLICANS show up either early or on election day and vote. The Democrats had their primary on Feb 4th, and they had over 400,000 fewer voters show up and vote in their primary. We live in an open primary state (as open as President Biden has our national borders) and, as such, many of those voters WILL be voting in the GOP Primary. So take the time to vote and remind and encourage your fellow republican to vote, Take them to the polls if needed, Republicans need to show up and vote or the Dems will swing the election to their choice in our primary
Donald Trump
New York billionaire and businessman. Most of his businesses have been in real estate and casinos. Running as a populist, conservative, Pro-American. He is an “outsider.” He governed as a Pro-Life President, the most Pro-Life President we have ever had. Trump has been very pro-police, pro-gun rights, and law-and-order President. He’s also come out against corruption and has been swinging at the media. Probably his biggest issue is immigration—building a wall and closing the borders. Trump has been a strong advocate for the 2nd Amendment (right to bear arms) and when he ran in 2020 was endorsed by the NRA.
With all the positive things he has done for the conservative cause, he has baggage that does hamper him with some voters; his needling manner, that he is a lighting rod for the left, and his presence on the ballot increases Dem turnout because of their visceral dislike and outright hatred of him personally and politically. For this reason some in the party want to move on to someone who is less polarizing. But that sentiment, though understandable, is not the current reality regarding the political differences in the country. The left does not just hate Trump, but also hates any and all who have values that are traditional and conservative. The left no longer regards the law as an impediment to stopping Trump. They have twisted, abused and made laws after the fact to get Trump.
Trump passed more conservative policies and issues in his 4 years then any other GOP president elected in the last 100 years. His tax cut and his orders to eliminate regulations caused the economy to soar, and unemployment hit historic lows for every group in the US, until Covid happened. His choices for the Federal bench were fantastic, and he has fought for his nominees even when the left went personal and tried to destroy his Candidate for the Supreme Court. He says stuff I wish he would not, and he is a bit of a bull in a china shop, but he has a very conservative record to run on. Despite several other Republican Presidents promising to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem (acknowledging Israel’s right to Jerusalem), President Trump was the one to actually do it. He has also been a huge defender of religious freedoms both inside and outside the U.S.
Nikki Haley
Former Governor and State House member for SC. Served in the Trump administration as his UN ambassador, where in my opinion, she did a very good job at defending our values and the administration’s policy positions. She came across as a very strong defender of the American values on the world stage. She is running as a pro-business candidate, but is also for open borders like Bush and Clinton were in the past. She is very much aligned with the Chamber of Commerce, and took Disney’s side in the fight with FL regarding not teaching kindergartners through third graders about sex and transgender issues. She even invited Disney to move to SC where they would find “a better business environment” than in FL. Along these lines, Haley in 2008 helped kill the “Bathroom Bill” where the state of SC was trying to stop men who identified as women from entering women’s spaces and bathrooms. Again, this is the Chamber of Commerce position, setting aside our SC values to accommodate liberals. She is getting money and fundraisers from two of Hillary Clinton’s former bundlers (people who gather large groups of donors to donate to campaigns). On immigration, her position after the Gaza massacre is that we (the US) should take all those from Gaza into the U.S. Understand there are very good reasons why NONE of the surrounding Arab nations will take the Palestinians into their countries.
Nikki Haley is running on a low tax, pro-business platform. But where Trump is running as an outsider conservative, Nikki Haley is running as the establishment candidate (Bush 1, Ford, Romney, and Bush 2). At this point she is getting more Democrat and independent votes than Republican votes.
Evert: I will be voting for Trump
Trump is going to win in SC. Most of his opponents in the primary, who have dropped out have endorsed Trump. The ONLY way Haley wins in SC is if the Democrats come out in mass and vote for her. After SC many of the state primaries are closed so only Republican voters can vote and so Trump will win those by large margins. There are some who are worried if Trump is convicted that it will keep him from becoming President. Even if he is convicted, if he wins the election, that will not disqualify him from taking office.
The remaining names on the ballot have either suspended their campaigns or are not top tier Candidates.
Suspended Campaigns
Ron DeSantis – Endorsed Trump
Vivek Ramaswamy – Endorsed Trump
Chris Christie – No Endorsement
Non-Top Tier Candidates
David Stuckenburg – Florida Businessman and Air Force Reserve Officer
Ryan Binkley – CEO of Equity Fund and Pastor from Texas
Ballot Questions
1 - Should South Carolina law be changed to give people the right to register to vote with the political party of their choice?
This question is asking if we should have closed primaries where only registered members of the party vote in Primary (nomination) elections. This does not hinder how people vote in the November (General) elections.
Evert: I will vote “Yes.”
2 – Should South Carolina adapt reforms to increase the independence and accountability of our judiciary by improving transparency and reducing conflicts of interest in the process of reviewing judicial qualifications and electing judges?
This question is about changing how we (state of SC) select state judges. Currently, a legislative panel grades and sends to the joint house and senate for them to choose between and vote on. Only the legislature has the right to nominate, select or vote for all judges in the state of SC. In worse case scenarios trial attorneys select and vote for criminal trial judges they will be having cases before. The current system is really bad and is rife with corruption and needs to be changed.
Evert: I will vote “Yes.”
3 – Should it be an immediate priority to protect South Carolina’s competitiveness and small businesses by changing state law so that a person’s responsibility for financial damages in a lawsuit is based on that person’s actual share of responsibility?
I believe this question is about Tort reform, but I do not know for sure. The way this is worded makes me question who and what is behind it. I have spoken with several likeminded conservatives and they have either voted for it or plan to. Because I am unsure on some of the wording and who is pushing this, I am probably going to vote “no.” I could change my mind, but I am unsure about this; so that’s where I am as of now.
Evert: Probably “No.”
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About the Author, Evert Headley
Evert has been involved with politics since 1989, both at state and local levels. He considers himself to be a Reagan conservative (conservative on social, economic, and national security issues). His first issue is always the Right to Life (without that right, which is endowed by our Creator, none of the other rights even exists). His second issue is always the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) because this right guarantees the ability of individuals and states to defend the other rights. His third issue is always the First Amendment (freedom of religion, speech and assembly). His fourth issue is the defense of capitalism and the defeat of Socialism/Marxism/Fascism, along with the protection of private property rights. On the national level, we are printing too much money, spending too much money, and borrowing too much money. The federal government is trying to usurp and infringe upon the rights reserved to the states and to the individuals.
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