We have endorsed Rep. Smith because he is the only candidate who has the vision and experience to work with the state’s Republican-dominated legislature – and can win the general election. Smith has been a reliable ally for the Network since our founding in 1995.

“Half the eligible citizens in our state aren’t voting,” said Network Executive Director Brett Bursey. “Most of them don’t bother to vote because they don’t see that doing so makes any difference in their lives. We need to be addressing those people. That’s our base.”

Smith has long supported our call for a moral state budget that makes it a priority to fund public services instead of corporate tax subsidies.

Smith supports our proposal that political districts be drawn by the voters rather than politicians. He has pledged to veto redistricting plans that don’t create competitive districts, giving our campaign to end gerrymandering in South Carolina more time to organize support for our bills to remedy the problem. He is on board our DemocraSC 2020 campaign.

These challenging times are an historic opportunity to stop South Carolina’s race to the bottom. Smith is positioned to help us make significant change.