By Don Kohn, Chairman of the Horry County Democratic Party
Voter enthusiasm is building in Horry County and South Carolina, and we sense a wave of Democratic support that may well be unprecedented. Voters appear poised to reject the policies of the Trump and McMaster administrations and elect candidates with positive, inclusive messages who are committed to addressing the needs of all of our people.
Just last week a surge in voter registration for the midterm elections was reported in the state as well as in Horry County, where elections officials say there were nearly 4,000 new registrations from July through September and that absentee voting – including in-person absentee voting – has dramatically increased.
We believe a majority of those new registrations and absentee ballots are from South Carolinians – many of them new residents – who believe our state and our nation can and must do better.
We are Democrats. We are a power to be reckoned with. As Democrats, we care about people – about good education, good healthcare, good paying jobs for our citizens; about our environment, our seniors, those in need.
We have a great slate of candidates headed by James Smith for Governor and Mandy Powers Norell for Lieutenant Governor. Our candidates all – every one of them – are committed to equality for all, fair play, and that the purpose of those elected is to serve, not to be served.
But to succeed, we all must vote. We all must take our friends to the polls to vote. And between now and election day, if you can help by knocking on doors, by sending postcards, making phone calls, by driving those who need a ride to the polls, do it. Just call our office in Conway for more information. The number is (843)488-HCDP (4237).
Where do We Stand?
We believe in supporting our schools, making certain that every child – no matter his or her zip code – has an opportunity for a good education. We believe in supporting our teachers financially so we do not lose them to higher paying school districts and so they can do what they are supposed to do – teach – without worrying about how they can support their families.
We believe in, and are committed to, improving healthcare in our state and our region. It is wrong if any South Carolinian must choose between going to the doctor and putting food on the table or paying the rent.
Our nominee for governor, James Smith, has made a cornerstone of his campaign a promise to immediately accept the millions in Medicaid dollars provided for expansion of the program under the Affordable Care Act. Those funds were rejected by former Gov. Nikki Haley, an action supported by Gov. Henry McMaster.
As a result, there are about 92,000 people in the state in the “coverage gap” with no realistic access to health insurance. That is unconscionable.
As Democrats, we are fighting for fairness for all, to protect the elderly, our veterans, and our environment. We oppose drilling for oil and gas off our shores as ordered by President Trump. McMaster says he’s a friend of Trump, and so should be able to block that. But that has not happened and our coastal environment and economy are still in danger.
We are fighting for fair immigration policies, not the policies of fear currently being implemented by President Trump. It is wrong for children, even babies, to be taken from their parents and caged. It is wrong for immigrants who arrived with their parents as infants to be deported. Our country is better than that.
Today, many, many jobs in South Carolina are threatened by by President Trump’s high tariffs on many of our trading partners and on products, like aluminum and steel, that are needed to keep our factories humming and our people employed. Gov. McMaster has said, “be patient, just wait.”
People who lose their jobs because of these policies cannot afford to “be patient” and “just wait.” We must oppose those policies and elect Representatives in Congress who will do just that. Rep Tom Rice (R-7th District) supports President Trump every step of the way.
In fact, Rice brags about “helping to write” the Republican tax cut bill that is lining the pockets of the rich, and which Republicans now say must be paid for by cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Our candidate, Robert Williams, opposes those policies.
Know Your Candidates
So, when you go to the polls on Nov. 6, please understand the differences in the candidates on the ballot. HCDP has developed a new compare & contrast tool that will help you decide.
Vote Them Out!!! Comparing 2018 Midterm Candidates
You can also find more information about each Democratic candidate here.
Then, once you are armed with the information you need, please vote. We need every Democrat. Every independent that leans Democratic, and every Republican who is sick and tired of today’s political atmosphere of hate and division that has been promoted by Trump and his cohorts, to go to the polls on election day and vote.
And get your friends and neighbor out to vote, too. There is simply too much at stake.
As our candidate for governor, James Smith, said the other day on a campaign tour of Horry County, “If you win you get to govern,” said Smith. “If you lose, you get to yell at the TV. I don’t want to yell at the TV.”
I don’t think you want to have to yell at the TV any more either. You have the power to make the changes we need. Use it. Vote Blue Nov. 6.
