For Immediate Release
July 21, 2016
SCDP CHAIR STATEMENT AT COORDINATED CAMPAIGN KICKOFF PRESS CONFERENCE
Columbia, SC – The South Carolina Democratic Party Chair kicked off its 2016 Coordinated Campaign at a press conference today at the State House, where Democratic candidates debuted their message of “Enough is Enough” and discussed how Democrats offer a better way to bring opportunity, security, and unity to our state. Below are the opening remarks of SCDP Chair Jaime Harrison, as prepared for delivery:
Good afternoon, thank you all so much for braving the heat and potential rain and joining us today. After 14 years of Republican dominance of South Carolina’s state government, our schools are failing, our roads are crumbling, our wages are stagnating, our dams are breaking, our coastline is receding, our hospitals are closing, and our people are being denied health insurance and dying two years earlier than the national average. More than 1 out of every 4 South Carolina children lives in poverty, and domestic violence is higher than any state in the nation.
With all of these challenges facing our state, just yesterday Nikki Haley said that the hardest part of her job is fighting with Washington, DC. Not giving kids opportunity, not making sure folks have health care, not making our infrastructure safer and more efficient. Fighting with Washington DC!! This is the mentality that held our state back for centuries before Democratic governors like Fritz Hollings, John West, Dick Riley, and Jim Hodges moved us forward. But over the past 14 years, Republicans have taken South Carolina in the wrong direction.
Undeterred by their failure in South Carolina, Republicans are trying to win total control of our national government, led by none other than Donald Trump, a man who is so hateful and divisive that even Governor Haley admitted that his rhetoric can lead to the sort of violent tragedy we are much too familiar with in South Carolina. Republicans in our congressional delegation have distinguished themselves as the most partisan, the most ideological, and the most intransigent in the nation, voting time and time again against South Carolina jobs and South Carolina families. They have no shame; Republicans members of our delegation tweeted about supporting families impacted by the flood but went back to Washington and voted against the funding.
Today, Democrats say, “Enough is enough!” We offer a better way to expand opportunity, ensure security, and promote unity in our state. And I can’t wait for these great candidates to get out on the campaign trail to talk to and learn from South Carolinians from all walks of life. With this strong, united coordinated campaign effort, I am more confident than ever that on November 8, South Carolina voters will go to the ballot box and make it abundantly clear that when it comes to failed Republican rule, enough is enough!
It is now my honor to introduce a man who has been fighting these battles for decades, our leader in making South Carolina a better place for all South Carolinians: Congressman Jim Clyburn. We will then hear from House Democratic Leader Todd Rutherford, S.C. Senator Thomas McElveen, and U.S. Senate Candidate Pastor Thomas Dixon. Following their remarks, I will introduce three of the chairs of our Coordinated Campaign: Representative John King, Senator Margie Bright Matthews, and Representative James Smith.
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