Statehouse Candidate Filing Week 1: Incumbents Draw Conservative Challengers as Freedom Caucus Faces Limited Pushback
The first week of candidate filing across South Carolina closed with little drama, but several State House incumbents are already facing credible conservative primary challengers. The filing deadline is noon on March 30 ahead of the June 9 Republican primaries.
Reddy or Not
So you thought you were following a nonprofit government watchdog group, DOGE SC?
Think again.
You’re now following a campaign for governor, featuring the group’s founder himself, Rom Reddy. Convenient timing for a newly filed candidate to suddenly have 34,000 followers overnight.
Reddy’s run may not come as a surprise. But it is notable that a candidate branding himself as “something different” has previously donated thousands to the very politicians many believe have kept South Carolina stuck in the same cycle.
Statehouse Showdown
With several statewide offices being vacated and the conservative House Freedom Caucus looking to continue to add to their ranks, SC Confidential will provide ongoing updates on candidate filings through the noon deadline on March 30, 2026.
Captain Sam’s Split: 32 Million Taxpayer Dollars and the Bad Precedent
The following is a six-part series on the taxpayer-funded $32 million appropriation to settle a lawsuit for Captain Sam’s Split on Kiawah Island.
Part 1: Captain Sam’s Split
Yesterday the Legislature voted to spend $32 million to settle the Captain Sam’s Spit dispute rather than continue litigation. I offered several amendments to force due diligence before we spend $32 million of your dollars. I was not successful .
The vote is over. I respect the will of the body. But today I am beginning a short series to explain why this decision matters — not just for one piece of land, but for future liability when state regulations restrict development.
GOP Leaders Continue to Play Games in Closed Primary Debate
At the turn of this year, Columbia lawmakers received the most pressure yet over finally closing partisan primaries. After two decades of proposed legislation, the state house constitutional laws subcommittee held a hearing on H.3643 and H.3310.
Per usual, legislation that the Republican establishment has no appetite to pass is scheduled at the end of the hearing and/or under tremendous time restraints due to the representatives needing to get to the house floor for proceedings.
You see, an important part of holding together the uniparty statehouse coalition together is having moderates and leftists vote in Republican primaries in our Republican supermajority state.
DOGE SC: How "Revolutionary" is it?
As President Donald J. Trump reassumed the office of the presideny in January 2025, the president tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with the task of finding and rooting out government waste and inefficiency in Washington. Thus, the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency or "DOGE."
The predictable happened. Politicians in Washington and South Carolina saw the opportunity to latch on to the very problems they created. Establishment politicians in Columbia's statehouse introduced resolutions and bills (see here, here and here) to to fix the problems of their own creation – a true foxes guarding the henhouse scenario.
In comes business tycoon Rom Reddy of the Isle of Palms. Reddy founded the DOGE SC Political Action Committee (PAC) in February of 2025 with an initial investment of $2.5 million. Reddy’s group has gone on to hire regional field staff, push for policies, naming certain officeholders and candidates as “Palmetto Revolutionaries” and hitting the statewide speaking circuit led by Reddy. The speaking circuit has been met with a lot of fanfare, often combining different segments of Republicans.
Call to Action: Close Our Primaries
There’s a heavy focus on the necessity of closed primaries in South Carolina, however the rhetoric surrounding this subject is sometimes confusing and intentionally muddy.
Currently, two closed primary bills are being treated as interchangeable.
They are not interchangeable.
Conservatives Must Heed Warnings to Win Lowcountry State House Special Election
We are now at the end of the year, and Republicans should act with urgency in the upcoming special election for state House District 98 in Dorchester County. President Trump won the district by six points in 2024. Conservative, decorated Air Force Veteran Greg Ford is the Republican candidate, facing Democrat Dr. Sonja Ogletree Satani. Ogletree Satani was unsuccessful in 2024 election against former state Rep. Chris Murphy.
Pro-life, Inc Wins Again in Killing SC’s Strong Pro-life Bill
On Tuesday, Nov. 18th, the SC Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee had their second hearing on S. 323, the Unborn Child Protection Act. This was the strongest pro-life bill ever to be heard in South Carolina.
This should have easily passed the heavily Republican subcommittee, correct? Wrong. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Richard Cash, Billy Garrett and Rex Rice, was allowed to die by four Republicans abstaining from the vote. Interestingly, Garret himself succeeded in killing the bill after being joined by Sens. Tom Corbin, Matt Leber and Jeff Zell. The vote was 3-2, with three Democrats voting no and Sens. Cash and Tom Fernandez voting yes.
Columbia Cartel Devastated by Special Election Losses
After a 2024 election cycle where they spent millions in attempts to defeat State House Freedom Caucus members and failed in every case, the GOP establishment geared up against conservatives in a string of fall special elections. They failed again, this time worse than the last time.
We the People are still in charge!
After everything I've seen in Columbia, the backroom deals, the insider contracts, the caucus incumbent protection rules, and the arrogance of people who think they own the system; I've come to one truth: We the People are still the real power. We just need to start believing it and acting like it again.vvvv
Who Picks the Referees? Does it really matter?
If....You are a Carolina fan, and you were watching the Carolina-Clemson game, and IF you found out that Clemson coaches had hired and selected the referees, and IF you discovered that the Clemson coaches decided the pay for their hand chosen referees, and that they had the power to terminate those referees, would you expect the game to be called fairly?
WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON AT V.C. SUMMER?
Something’s not adding up.
Santee Cooper — the state-owned power company — just signed a deal to talk only with BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT about restarting the two old nuclear
reactors at V.C. Summer in Fairfield County.
A Saturday Riddle and a Serious Sunday Truth!
Here's a riddle for you:
How can a college football team be ahead by 8 points with 3 minutes left in regulation--and lose by 7 without going into overtime?
I know the answer now.
Get Up, Get Out of Bed, Get your Clothes on!"
That's what I heard every morning from my Drill Sergeant when I was in basic training.
How can "We the People" of South Carolina take back OUR State Government?
Oversight Lost - Why South Carolina Taxpayers Keep Paying the Price
Oversight Lost--Why South Carolina Taxpayers Keep Paying the Price
As I sat in a meeting discussing the best use of $1.8 million by a government entity, a legislator with more than 20 years of service asked, "Representative, why are you so concerned about this $1.8 million? We're responsible for a $14.5 billion budget."
My First Taste of Lobbyist Power
On November 29, 2022, I walked into the South Carolina Statehouse as an elected representative for the very first time.
Along with 26 other new legislators, I began what they call "freshman orientation." It was a full day and a half of paperwork, and procedures--signing forms for health insurance, filling out disclosures, listening to lectures, and being briefed on the ethics rules we were supposed to uphold.
Running, but Why?
Once I decided to run for the South Carolina House of Representatives, I had to ask myself a hard question: What issues would I devote my time and energy to if I won the trust of the people in district 40?
If not now, then WHEN? If not you, then WHO?
In 2022, I was the oldest freshman ever elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. People often ask me, WHY?
Why would a happily retired, financially secure businessman, who had spent years enjoying time with his wife, children, and grandchildren, suddenly give up that life of peace and leisure to step into the chaos of politics?
The seed that was planted in me began in 2020, during the "mask mandate."