Recently, the South Carolina Policy Council sat down with several of the state’s gubernatorial candidates for in-depth policy discussions. While SCPC does not endorse candidates, we extended an invitation to all who have formally declared their candidacy.
Over the past several election cycles, one thing has become clear: Long-form, open dialogue wins the day. Voters value detailed policy discussions far more than quick sound bites.
That said, these interviews are lengthy, and we understand that not everyone might have the time to watch all of them.
Some of the biggest challenges facing our state are judicial reform, taxes, and spending. These are the topics we wanted to highlight in a quick, easy-to-digest format, so you can get a clear read on each candidate’s position.
Below, you’ll find the questions we asked and a portion of each candidate’s response. To view the full interviews, click here.
Question 1: Judicial Reform
Out of the three general approaches to judicial reform – legislative appointment (as South Carolina and Virginia do), direct election of judges (as in North Carolina), or the federal model with executive appointment and legislative confirmation – which would you prefer?
Mullins McLeod: “I'm in favor of looking at any ways to improve the way we elect judges as long as we don't subject our judges to the dark money. Because when you turn judges into politicians, it's over.”
Alan Wilson: “I think in a perfect world, the federal model is the best way to go. The governor nominates; the Legislature up or down votes (on) a person. But if that is not the best we can do, the governor should appoint all the members of the JMSC (Judicial Merit Selection Commission). I would also like to see the governor appoint all the at-large judges so that the judges moving around the state helping to move the backlog of cases would be accountable to the governor, who would be in turn accountable to the entire population of South Carolina.”
Pamela Evette: “I would never like to see our judges elected because if you have an election process, it means you have to have a campaign process. And to do that, you have to go out and you have to raise money, and that never gives people a good feeling. So, I don't like that at all. What I do like is the federal model. I think the governor should appoint, and the General Assembly can confirm.”
Ralph Norman: “Nominated by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. That's the most fair way.”
Question 2: State income tax
Do you support eliminating the state income tax?
Mullins McLeod: "As soon as we can afford to do it, absolutely. Now all the establishment candidates are saying, ‘go to zero.’ I don't know if we can. I don't know if we can afford that. (That would) absolutely would be my goal.”
Alan Wilson: “We're in a global competition, and it starts right here in the Southeast of the US. So I believe that South Carolina needs to take its 6% down to 0% income tax. That's the first thing that I want to focus on as governor – on an economic package.”
Pamela Evette: “I believe with the amount of surpluses that we have every year, we definitely can, and at a much more accelerated rate than we're doing now. And the governor and I have been very encouraging to continue to drop that rate at a much quicker pace.”
Ralph Norman: “I want to give money back to the people that earned it – taxpayers – not to government. ... I'll gladly tell the people of South Carolina; I'm going to cut their taxes.”
Question 3: Spending
South Carolina has increased general fund spending (except for one COVID-induced pause) every year for the past 25 years. How would you address the ever-rising spending by the state government?
Mullins McLeod: “I think that today's political establishment in Colombia act like 1970s Democrats. They've never seen a dollar they don't want to spend. The size of government has increased every year, I think, over the last 30 years.”
Alan Wilson: "I've looked at the numbers over a 10-year period. ... South Carolina state government spending grew at 6.5%, while the population of South Carolina index with inflation grew at 3.4%. What that means is we were spending 3.1% (points) faster as a state than we were growing as a state population. Had we indexed or basically capped state government spending on average every year to the level of population plus inflation growth, over a 10-year period that would have been $19.7 billion in tax cuts. … I believe that we should do what other states are doing and create revenue triggers where we're not going to spend more than we're growing.”
Pamela Evette: “It all starts with reigning in spending, figuring out what is the state's responsibility to take care of. … How do we get back to that core and figure out where we need to actually put money to really fix core problems, and then cut down on all the rest.”
Ralph Norman: “It's going to get better than that. For the last 10 years, South Carolina's has increased over 30% in government spending. ... My executive budget will be the most lean budget in the history of South Carolina. Well, maybe since Carol Campbell.”
Question 4: The governors' power in the spending process
Nearly every year, as the budget process ramps up, the governor’s initial proposal is typically the smallest, with spending growing in the House and Senate drafts that follow. How would you use the line-item veto and the powers of the Governor’s Office
Mullins McLeod: “We've been told, right, that the executive branch is weak because the legislature passes the bills, and the budget. But I don't view it that way. I think the executive branch has plenty of power in South Carolina.”
Alan Wilson: “I would use a line-item veto as that cap we talked about until we passed it statutorily. I would give the General Assembly predictability. ... If you want to know what my veto is going to look like, look at population plus inflation or whatever metric we can use that is similar to that. I'm open to finding a different formula, but I think predictability is important.”
Pamela Evette: “Instead of fighting with the General Assembly, let's be honest, the governor's role constitutionally is not as strong as the General Assembly, and the General Assembly controls the purse strings. So, it's how do you sit down with the General Assembly and come up with the initiatives that you both feel are important that will drive the state and the state's growth forward, and then work at that.”
Ralph Norman: “Line-item veto is going to be one of the key levers that I will use. Everybody says the governor doesn't have any power. Yes, you do. You've got it in a line-item veto, and you can go to the bully pulpit and just explain it. ... I will be willing to spell it out (in) the line-item veto. I will have a lean budget in a way that we haven't seen before.”
