The State endorsement: Our seven choices for Congress in South Carolina

Some people trace the demise of decorum and bipartisanship in American politics to Rep. Joe Wilson yelling, “You lie!” at then-President Barack Obama in a 2009 session of Congress. But Wilson was so remorseful he called the White House that night to apologize for his “inappropriate and regrettable” outburst and offered “sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”

After the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in July, Rep. Nancy Mace had an outburst of her own in a congressional grilling of then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. “That’s bulls---,” she told her, and ended, “You’re full of s--- today. You’re just being completely dishonest.” Apologize afterward? Mace told a critic on X to “Clutch those pearls a little harder.”

With early voting starting Monday, The State Editorial Board launches our Nov. 5 election endorsements with these recommendations in South Carolina’s congressional districts, clinging to the distant hope that Democrats, Republicans and bureaucrats alike can work together civilly.

In southeastern District 1, The State Editorial Board endorses Democrat Michael B. Moore over Republican Mace, in part because of her demeanor. She displayed a principled, independent streak after taking office in 2020, saying Jan. 6, 2021, had “wiped out” Donald Trump’s “entire legacy.” Then she dismissed us as “leftist media with an agenda” for asking her about those events, and told us “J6 polls at close to zero in terms of issues voters care about.” Yet a poll released on the three-year anniversary found that 55% of Americans say the crimes at the Capitol that day were “an attack on democracy that should never be forgotten.” A third of the 1,500 people accused of crimes that day face charges for assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.

Mace’s reversal and refusal to answer questions about it are just one example of how she is guided by a personal agenda rather than principles. Last year she threw the House into chaos as one of eight Republicans to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Last month she picked a public fight with Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano over a costly immigration program the sheriff ended on her first day in office nearly four years ago that only three of the state’s 46 counties still use.

Moore is a leader whose legacy would be more lasting than Mace’s trail of social media triviality in the only congressional district in the state where former Gov. Nikki Haley beat Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Moore calls the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, “an affront to our democracy,” and vows to pursue border security and sensibility, seeking “to root out the systemic causes of migration and implement politics that reflect American values, not fear-mongering and political games.” He is descended from legendary South Carolinian Robert Smalls and traces his Lowcountry ancestry back to the 1790s. The business executive’s thoughtful, holistic views would be a welcome return to dignity and civility.

In central District 2, The State Editorial Board endorses Republican Wilson over Democrat David Robinson II. Wilson has a more nuanced view of Jan. 6, 2021, than Mace or many in the GOP. He told us “the mob action” was “inexcusable” and the lack of security at the Capitol “unexplainable.” After 31 years in the Army, 17 in the state Senate and 23 in Congress, he would remain a steady presence on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees.

In western District 3, The State Editorial Board endorses Republican Sheri Biggs over two opponents for an open seat. A nurse practitioner, a nursing home administrator and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, Biggs would bring actual experience to discussions in need of it: health care and the military. In an era when extremism kills political compromise, her use of the phrase “alarmist climate change agenda” and her opposition to abortion except “when the life of the mother is in immediate and severe danger” gave us pause. Hurricane Helene was alarming, and no abortion exception for incest or rape is extreme. But the last two presidential elections show this is South Carolina’s most Republican congressional district and the state needs more women in politics. Her opponents do not make persuasive cases for themselves or show they’re competitive candidates. Biggs has done both.

In northwestern District 4, The State Editorial Board endorses Democrat Kathryn Harvey over three-term Republican Rep. William Timmons and a third-party candidate we can’t take seriously because he said those still in jail for crimes committed on Jan. 6, 2021, should be pardoned.

Timmons has shown he’s not taking Harvey seriously by campaigning more outside the district for other Republican candidates, but he ignores Harvey at his peril. A Spartanburg native, nonprofit communications professional and chair of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party, Harvey showed a deep understanding of difficult issues like immigration and energy production, reliability and cost in our Q&A. By contrast, Timmons decided not to reply to our survey, showing a disregard for interactions with the public, and he has brashly said he’ll spend “as much, if not more” of his time campaigning in battleground congressional districts than in his own. Since Timmons won’t interact with Upstate voters, they should send him packing.

In northern District 5, The State Editorial Board endorses Republican Rep. Ralph Norman over Democrat Evangeline Hundley. Norman took office in 2017 and has been re-elected three times, including in 2022 when he beat Hundley by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. Given the values of district voters, a different outcome is unlikely.

Norman’s top priority — reining in government spending and paying down the national debt — is a laudable goal that both parties should share. Hundley’s top priority — lowering the cost of living — is vital, too. To do it, she’d stop price gouging, ensure affordable housing and provide health care for all, three things easier said than done. Price gouging is a populist target in campaigns but is hard to prove. Affordable housing is a goal that requires all levels of government to address. Universal health care is not just hard to imagine in the U.S., it’s hard to implement. Norman is much more likely to deliver on his economic goals.

In central and southwestern District 6, The State Editorial Board endorses Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn over Republican Duke Buckner and three long-shot third-party candidates. Clyburn was first elected in 1992 and seems certain not to lose the seat in this election.

Buckner is running a spirited campaign, but Clyburn, 83, is South Carolina’s oldest and longest-serving member of Congress for a reason: His word carries weight. He was central to President Joe Biden’s election and Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination as Biden’s successor. He may be less influential in both a Harris or a Trump presidency, but don’t expect Clyburn to spend what may be his final term in office quietly. He noted in our Q&A that next year will mark 10 years since the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston that killed nine people and injured three, and he said he is still lobbying for enhanced background checks, a reasonable response to that and so many other tragedies. If his time in office is shrinking, his commitment to that cause isn’t.

In northeastern District 7, The State Editorial Board endorses incumbent Republican Rep. Russell Fry over Democrat Mal Hyman. This was the endorsement we spent the most time discussing. Fry, elected in 2022 after easily defeating five-term incumbent Rep. Tom Rice in the GOP primary, was one of only two congressional candidates to not reply to our questionnaire. Hyman seemed thoughtful, but he didn’t offer much in the way of specific solutions in his Q&A, and he also was hard to reach for what should have been an easy follow-up question seeking to fact-check a couple of his figures. Given that Hyman has already fallen well short in two other races for this seat since 2018, a third time does not feel like a charm. We reluctantly endorse Fry, and hope that he doesn’t show such disinterest in the press or the public in a second term.

This story was originally published October 17, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "The State endorsement: Our seven choices for Congress in South Carolina."