End ‘political extremism,’ SC Democrat says in response to McMaster’s State of the State

Democratic South Carolina Rep. Spencer Wetmore on Wednesday punched at Gov. Henry McMaster and Republicans for playing to their base, calling for more bipartisanship within the Legislature.

“It’s time to stop focusing only on the next election and instead focus on getting things done for this state and for the people who live here,” the Charleston Democrat said in prepared remarks released prior to McMaster’s State-of-the-State speech, in which he was expected to highlight the state’s post-COVID economy.

In the Democratic response, Wetmore called on her colleagues to “reject bitter partisanship, extremism and the harsh rhetoric that comes with it.”

The Lowcountry freshman lawmaker cut at the governor, saying his actions “often focus on political extremism” rather than focusing on the state’s issues.

“We need real results for South Carolina families, instead of wasting valuable time on fear and division,” Wetmore said. “It’s time to drop the tiresome grandstanding and remember that we represent all South Carolinians, not just the less than 20% who vote in Republican primaries.”

Wetmore’s calls came as the governor and all members of the South Carolina House are up for reelection this November. And last year, the first of the two-year legislative session, Republicans focused on passing bills, like an open-carry bill and a strict abortion bill, that appeal to their conservative base.

Wetmore called for a bipartisan push to provide tax relief to families in need before this year’s session ends in May.

She also called on her colleagues to band together to address South Carolina’s infrastructure needs, including making investments in road and bridge repairs, water system updates and broadband expansion.

“Nothing illustrates a broken political system more than crumbling infrastructure, and it’s disgraceful how far South Carolina has fallen behind,” Wetmore said.

South Carolina will receive an influx of infrastructure dollars after Congress passed a $1.2 trillion bill last year. This year alone, the state will receive more than $55 million to repair it’s crumbling bridges.

Billions of dollars are expected to come to South Carolina over the next five years, all of which will go toward projects already on SCDOT’s 10 year plan, including repairs currently underway at Columbia’s “Malfunction Junction.”

McMaster has also announced plans to use federal COVID-19 aid dollars to fund infrastructure projects, including widening Interstate 26 between Columbia and Charleston.

Wetmore called for further investment in infrastructure projects from the state legislature.

She also called for investments into South Carolina’s poor and rural communities. Specifically, she urged a bipartisan effort to expand high-speed internet access, give aid to small businesses and provide support for rural hospitals.

“Many of these areas need more industry, better jobs with good benefits so that young people who grow up in these communities have the option of staying there to raise their families,” Wetmore said.

Wetmore also pushed back on a Republican effort to use public dollars to provide vouchers to families who choose to send their children to private schools.

“You can’t fix schools by defunding them, and we must reject this latest voucher bill,” Wetmore said. “It takes money out of our public school system to fund private academies. I have no objection to private schools, but public money should be spent on public schools.”

In her remarks, Wetmore also called for raises for teachers.

In his executive budget, McMaster also called for raises for teachers, raising the minimum teacher pay by $2,000.

Wetmore called on her colleagues to pay more attention to the needs of working families.

“Our state has limitless potential. But we can’t keep following the old politics of the past,” Wetmore said. “I hope you’ll stand with me in rejecting political extremism, grandstanding, and the divisive rhetoric that has exploded in recent years.”