South Carolina Runoff Results

Complete South Carolina Runoff Results are Here

"The State" Newspaper Endorses McMaster

Record, optimism make McMaster best choice

THREE TRUTHS about our state: South Carolina has tremendous challenges that we can no longer afford to ignore or to nibble away at, and only a governor has the stature and portfolio to lead us to sweeping changes.

The Legislature can stop a governor from making things happen.

Chances are better than even that our next governor will be a Republican.

Unfortunately, we do not see among the GOP gubernatorial candidates a bold plan for putting our state on the right track. But we do see a candidate who has a record of bringing people together to work collaboratively toward creative solutions to difficult problems, who has shown admirable political courage and on occasion come up with bold initiatives, who exudes an infectious optimism about our state’s potential, and who has demonstrated the ability to work well with the Legislature.

When he ran for attorney general eight years ago, Henry McMaster impressed us mainly by being devoid of big ideas. But he turned out to be a very good attorney general.

He restored credility to an office that had been badly damaged by eight years of the provocative antics of Charlie Condon, putting out opinions based on law rather than politics and opening up the secretive process that had allowed private attorneys to reap windfalls by bringing lawsuits on behalf of the state.

Working closely with women’s advocates, he recruited attorneys to donate their time to prosecute batterers who had been getting away with their crimes because solicitors didn’t have the staff to handle those cases; he since has teamed with partners from beauticians to Wal-Mart in a successful effort to encourage more women to report abuse.

He helped break the Legislature’s dangerous and unconstitutional practice of stringing unrelated matters together in a single bill, not only refusing to defend the practice in court but even putting forth the argument that the Supreme Court adopted to rein in a practice that encourages corruption and undermines majority rule.

He laid out the legal roadmap that allowed the Legislature to bypass Gov. Mark Sanford on federal stimulus funds, even though he personally opposed the federal law and knew his position could hurt him in this election.

Although the details are different, his efforts to pair tougher sentencing laws for the most violent criminals with aggressive and expansive alternative sentences for non-violent offenders clearly laid the groundwork for legislative action this year on a crime-fighting and budget-saving initiative that lawmakers have refused heretofore even to discuss seriously.

Today, Mr. McMaster’s plans for our state are underwhelming. His centerpiece idea — to make South Carolina “the most business-friendly state in the nation” — relies too heavily on the blind faith that even lower taxes and even less regulation will attract the sort of businesses that will make our state a better place to live.

But he is committed to harnessing our research universities to help grow the sort of knowledge jobs that can be transformative; and he does understand and accept — like many Republican leaders in the Legislature but unlike his opponents in this race — that the only way we are ever going to make dramatic and lasting improvements is by providing programs to challenge, teach and encourage underprivileged children from a very young age.

Some of the reasons for supporting Mr. McMaster are negative — his opponents either wouldn’t be able to get along with the Legislature or would bring too much baggage and too little depth or are just too indistinguishable.

But Mr. McMaster is inspirational in his enthusiasm for our state’s possibilities, and if he has demonstrated anything in the past eight years, it’s that he can rise to the challenges and opportunities of his office. He is clearly the Republican most capable of leading our state forward as governor; voters would do well to choose him in the June 8 primary.

The Right Leadership for South Carolina's Future

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14

We have not weighed in on the most recent political scandal to hit South Carolina. We do not know the facts and may never know enough about the story to determine who is telling the truth. But this scandal, like others in recent years, affirms our belief that private lives do matter when choosing political leadership. A political leader who does not honor the vows one has taken before God and man to one's spouse, is no more likely to honor promises made to the electorate.

Character counts, and "the fruit of loyal nature and of noble mind" flows through the whole person, in their official, public responsibilities and in their private and family life. At the same time, the corruption, lack of accountability, arrogance, and self-interest we see in our state and national leadership is a reflection of our society, our moral condition as a state and nation.

Our society speaks much about "rights," but every right comes with responsibilities and obligations. Our first responsibility as adopted sons and daughters of God is to ensure that we first renew our own hearts. Alexander Solzhenitsyn stated that "the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either - but right through every human heart."

If we are to restore our state and nation to that "shining city on a hill," we must first be the citizens we want our neighbors to be. When we have done that, our state and nation will truly reflect the ideals of our founders.

With these thoughts in mind, we believe that in the following races there are leaders who reflect the best of us, and will ensure that our state honors God's laws, will defend its sovereign rights under the U. S. Constitution, and will provide only those services needed from government in an honest, transparent, economical and accountable way. They are leaders who recognize that they are the people's servants and not their masters.

For Governor: Henry McMaster

For Lieutenant Governor: Bill Connor

For Attorney General: Alan Wilson

For Superintendent of Education: Mick Zais